The White House briefing room can be a surprisingly jolly place. Like any workplace, there are running jokes, nicknames, petty rivalries and a whole host of other topics that regularly prompt genial laughter from the cheap seats. Under Press Secretary Tony Snow, however, it's a regular Ha-Ha Hole. Since Snow came into the job last May, he's been interrupted by laughter over 250 times. This compared to Scott McClellan, whose entire tenure (2003-2006) saw just over 700 titters. Snow entertains with style, too, a showman who banters as well as cracks wise. These are some of his greatest hits.

June 17, 2006

Q A comment on the President's use of a word that some people might consider to be an expletive?

MR. SNOW: Not unless you've never used it.

Q Damn.

July 5, 2006

Q Would this -- let me just follow up. Would this to become a constitutional amendment, what legally then happens to those 8,000-plus same-sex couples? Are their marriages annulled?

MR. SNOW: That would have to require keener legal expertise than mine. I don't want to try to --

Q So the President doesn't know what would happen to them?

MR. SNOW: No, the press secretary doesn't know.

[...]

Q Second, The New York Times has just reported, "This White House, like all White Houses, is obsessed with the press." My question, will you admit to this alleged obsession, or is this just one more New York Times exaggeration?

MR. SNOW: It's more a love affair than an obsession.

June 17, 2006

Q Has any member of the administration spoken to you about the CIA leak case?

MR. SNOW: Yes.

Q Who?

MR. SNOW: I'm not going to tell you.

August 15, 2006

Q Tony, former President Clinton told ABC News in an interview there this morning that, "While I don't think the foiling of that London bomb plot has any bearing on our Iraq policy, they seem anxious to tie to al Qaeda. If that's true, how come we've got seven times as many troops in Iraq as in Afghanistan? Why is the administration and congressional leadership consistently opposed to adequate checks on cargo containers in ports and airports? I think Republicans should be very careful in trying to play politics on the airport thing --

MR. SNOW: Can you hand me that quote when you're done, because I think this one needs some parsing. So you hand that to me, and we will deconstruct, all right? (Laughter.) You have it marked up for me?

Q The bottom of the first --

MR. SNOW: Okay, "I don't think the foiling of the London bomb plot has any bearing on our Iraq policy." Fair enough. "They seem to be anxious to tie it to al Qaeda." I think Bill Plante will tell you that's not true.

Q Well, I don't know that it's not true. I only know what you told me. (Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: Well, I'm telling you the truth. But the fact is, as a public matter, we haven't done it, which leads to a series, therefore, of non sequiturs that are tied to a fallacious premise. The fact is that --

Q Oooh --

MR. SNOW: Well, it is. I'm sorry, but go take a logic class.

Q We're in it. (Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: Exactly.

June 23, 2006

Q Tony, notwithstanding all of that, there is a perception in some quarters --

MR. SNOW: Like here. (Laughter.)

Q -- that when you combine the revelations about the NSA programs, when you combine this with that, and --

MR. SNOW: Okay, well, let me --

Q Well, let me just finish. One other perception that many have, many do have, which is that they cannot count on their privacy rights from the government, it's government intrusion.

MR. SNOW: The perception seems to be more limited to -- with all due respect -- to members of the press corps.

October 20, 2006

Q Webster's has "tactics" as: the way you implement strategy.

MR. SNOW: Well, Webster's and I agree on this one, Jim. (Laughter.)

Q Okay. And I'm sure that comes as great comfort to Webster's.

MR. SNOW: Old Daniel has been gone a while, but I'm sure his heirs and assigns are happy.

Q Here's the question -- under these definitions, is --

Q It's Noah.

MR. SNOW: Oh, that's right, Noah, thank you.

Q Noah Webster.

MR. SNOW: Noah, thank you. I'm glad I'm here. You guys keep me honest. I'm sorry, Jim.

Q I should have gone with Funk and Wagnall's. (Laughter.)

July 3, 2006

Q I'm talking about the debate on the Hill, and so forth, where you accuse everybody of cutting and running if they want to pull out of the --

MR. SNOW: Wait a minute. I don't believe that phrase has ever been used from this podium. People have -- no, I mean --

THE PRESS: Hmmm.

September 13, 2006

Q How about an emotional or factual response to the Rhode Island primary yesterday?

MR. SNOW: The Republican incumbent won. Woo-hoo.

August 2, 2006

Q Is that what they teach you in spin school?

MR. SNOW: No, no. Unfortunately I missed spin school. I pay a price for that from time to time, but --

Q Now he's just a professor.

MR. SNOW: That's right. (Laughter.) I'm self-taught.