As with Santa in Winter and the Easter Bunny in Spring, an appointment during a President's midterm announces the triumphal return of the election season.

Tony Snow is not the first name on many lists for White House Press Secretary but he may be the best choice yet in this midterm shake up. Mr. Snow brings with him experience with the media few could boast. A newspaper man since the late 70's, in T.V. since the mid 90's and most recently on the radio, he is a man well versed in the day to day of this press corp.

He lacks nothing in the way of White House credentials either. A speech writer for Bush #41 and a Republican through and through, he has friends on the hill, friends in the White House and most importantly, friends in the press. Unlike his predecessor however Mr. Snow has made it clear to all with the endorsement of the President that he will not simply be a conduit for the President. He will not just tell what the big guy is doing, he intends to participate in the internal debate.

This is something different from what we have been brought up expecting from Press Secretaries in the past. Now we will have someone in front of the news media who knows how they operate, will know how this President operates, will surely melt the two together for the best marketing campaign we have seen in decades.

This could be very bad news for pollsters everywhere. As the President's lead man, Tony knows what is expected by the press, what tidbit they are looking for and what red meat in the water means. In a White House that has a reputation for secrecy this might seem odd, but to a White House trying to mend an approval rating in the tank, this is sheer brilliance.

Remember, Tony Snow walked away from a fairly lucrative deal with Fox News for this 1000 day gig. He knows what is on the line and has been critical of this President from time to time. As George Bush begins to round out the last part of his service in Washington; legacy must be on his mind. When you look at all the leading indicators of the day save one, the budget deficit, they all paint a rosie picture of both the economy and domestic life in America. We have not been hit again since 9/11, unemployment is at a 30 year low, home ownership at an all time high, interest rates are at a solid place and the Fed is talking about not moving them one way or the other for a while because inflation is in check. Even gas prices which today mark a source of inflammation on the hind end of American politics will inevitably subside once the change over from MTB to Ethanol is complete next month.

So why isn't the new about the economy a major story today? Partly because it has not been packaged very well. The only person who ever says anything about it is the President himself. I can't remember the last time I heard a leading Republican preach about the glory of the economy nor can I remember the last time I heard a leading Democrat produce any factual evidence to the contrary. This isn't selling in Peoria. Time for an overhaul of the product; enter Mr. Tony Snow.

Like the idea or not packaging is what sells any product in America. The product this time is legacy. Sure there are still issues that must be dealt with, Iraq, Iran, Oil Refining Capabilities, (GAS PRICES for those of you who don't get that one) Health-care Costs, Social Security,  the Minimum Wage and my favorite, taxes, taxes and taxes. Death taxes, Income taxes, Gas taxes, (watch those go down soon) and making the tax cuts we already have permanent. This list of issues is the product line of the U.S. Government, Tony Snow is the Marketing Agent who is going to sell the product and the Legacy is what we will end up for his efforts.

As this effort begins in earnest next week, be prepared for the occasional set back in policy, the periodic block of bad news disseminated by the press, but most of all be sure to watch as Mr. Snow begins to work magic with each of these issues and watch as the approval rating begins to move towards the 40's then 50's and finally balancing out in the 60-62% range by the fall of 2008.