Tony Snow points to blizzard of resignations, including his own

Tony Snow Signals His Resignation, Plus ‘A Couple’ More ‘Coming Up In The Next Month’

After the demise of Karl Rove, Bush's cackling 'Boy Genius' who also answered to the Texan frat nickname of 'Turdblossom", all the thumbsuckers speculated about how the remainder of Bush's term would pan out sans “the Architect.” Bush is “fighting lame duck status,” reporta the AP. Now White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has spun back: “As the president has said many times, he’s going to sprint to the tape.”

But, according to the analysis websiteThinkProgress even Tony Snow doesn’t want to hang around for that sprint. In an interview with the conservative Hugh Hewitt show, Snow signaled that he won't linger until the end of the term. He also mentioned that there are “probably a couple” of other high-level resignations “coming up in the next month or so.”

HEWITT: Are there any other resignations upcoming, Tony Snow?

SNOW: I think that probably…as Josh said the other day, he thinks there are probably a couple coming up in the next month or so. […]

HEWITT: Your intention to go the distance, Tony Snow?

SNOW: No, I’m not going to be…I’ve already made it clear I’m not going to be able to go the distance, but that’s primarily for financial reasons. I’ve told people when my money runs out, then I’ve got to go.

Snow’s upcoming departure makes him one of a bevy of top administration officials who, since November, have left their posts. ThinkProgress has compiled a list of some of the key resignations:

- White House Senior Political Adviser Karl Rove
- White House Counselor Dan Bartlett
- White House Budget Director Rob Portman
- White House Counsel Harriet Miers
- White House Political Director Sara Taylor
- White House Director of Strategic Initiatives Pete Wehner
- White House Deputy National Security Adviser J.D. Crouch
- Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty
- Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer
- Justice Department White House liaison Monica Goodling
- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
- Army Secretary Francis Harvey
- Joint Chief of Staffs Chairman Peter Pace
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson
- U.N. Ambassador John Bolton
- USAID Director Randall Tobias

With so many key staff departures, the AP reports that “Bush has decided he might get more done in his final months by going it alone,” making increased use of executive orders and veto power.