Contact: J.P. Duffy or Maria Donovan, both with Family Research Council, 866-FRC-NEWS

WASHINGTON, July 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Family Research Council released the following statement on the passing of Tony Show.

"In Washington one meets a handful of people who are almost universally liked and respected. So much is at stake in the partisan battles in the capital that having the admiration of political friend and foe alike is unusual. Tim Russert achieved that and so did Tony Snow. Tony spoke at the FRC Action Values Voter Summit in 2006 and described with relish his experience at the White House with a mix of professionalism and amazement that was endearing and all-American. He knew, appreciated, and communicated how lucky he was to have been born in the U.S. of A., grown up in the Midwest, and been given a chance to work in hallways and places he had dreamed of as a kid. That youthfulness, and the bedrock values that fueled him, never faded, whether at the peak of his success or in the throes of his illness. The proximity of those two things, the peak and the throes coming at once, and the way he handled both with wit and verve only underscored how grounded he was. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

The full statement can be read online at www.frcblog.com