I don't know about that. What I heard from the guy prior to his becoming press secretary was pretty much straight out of the Fox News School of Journalism. The running joke right after Snow became press secretary was that the Bush administration likes to promote from within.
The first thing I thought when I heard his cancer had returned was "oh, poor guy!" Not that I like the guy or agree with anything the guy stands for, but I don't wish ill on people. Someone (the ETrib contributor) raises an important point though: not everyone has access to the excellent health care he does, and the policies he advocates do nothing to repair that situation (quite the opposite, in fact). That's not irrelevant.
I don't think that comment is particularly American though (nor, to be honest, particularly harsh). Saying stuff on the Internet in a less than sensitive manner is an international phenomenon. Heck, I just realised I took a potshot at the guy at the beginning of this very comment. "The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
So, I suppose you're right on the "promoted from within" bit and he definitely used the revolving door twice, but wc might also be right on the "former respected member of the press".
See wiki: Tony Snow's Early Career. "It's the statue, man, The Statue."
