First of all, the weekend brought sad news:

Vice President Dick Cheney, members of the White House press corps and FOX News contributors remembered Tony Snow Sunday as a happy warrior who woke up each day excited about life, enjoyed engaging the media and most of all loved his family.

The former White House press secretary and conservative pundit who bedeviled the press corps and charmed millions as a FOX News television and radio host, died Saturday after a long bout with cancer. He was 53.

Tony Snow was one of those remarkable people who prove that it is possible to strongly defend one’s opinions without being obnoxious. And it wasn’t a coincidence, one friend said:

“Tony did his job with more flair than almost any press secretary before him,“ said William McGurn, Bush’s former chief speechwriter. “He loved the give-and-take. But that was possible only because Tony was a man of substance who had real beliefs and principles that he was more than able to defend.“

Substance. Tony had it. So many in D.C. don’t.

His family, though grieving, has been left with a lasting legacy and the unflinching pride that is the reward of a life well lived.

Rest in peace, Tony Snow.