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| Obama adviser quits over 9/11 comments | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 7 2009, 03:42 PM (35 Views) | |
| shure | Sep 7 2009, 03:42 PM Post #1 |
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Obama adviser quits over 9/11 comments  Van Jones has been embroiled in a controversy over past inflammatory statements that suggested a government role in the 2001 terror attacks WILL LESTER Washington — The Associated Press Last updated on Sunday, Sep. 06, 2009 01:30PM EDT http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/obama-adviser-quits-over-911-comments/article1277838/ U.S. President Barack Obama's environmental adviser Van Jones, who became embroiled in a controversy over past inflammatory statements, has resigned his White House job after what he calls a “vicious smear campaign against me.” The resignation, announced early Sunday, came as Mr. Obama is working to regain his footing in the contentious health care debate. Mr. Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly “green jobs” with the White House Council on Environmental Quality was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the 2001 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans. Mr. Jones issued an apology on Thursday for his past statements. When asked the next day whether Mr. Obama still had confidence in him, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said only that Mr. Jones “continues to work in the administration.” The matter surfaced after news reports of a derogatory comment Mr. Jones made in the past about Republicans, and separately, of Mr. Jones's name appearing on a petition connected to the events surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. That 2004 petition had asked for congressional hearings and other investigations into whether high-level government officials had allowed the attacks to occur. “On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me,” Mr. Jones said in his resignation statement. “They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide.” Mr. Jones said he has been “inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight.” But he said he cannot in good conscience ask his colleagues to spend time and energy defending or explaining his past. Mr. Jones flatly said in an earlier statement that he did not agree with the petition's stand on the Sept. 11 attacks and that “it certainly does not reflect my views, now or ever.” As for his other comments he made before joining Mr. Obama's team, Mr. Jones said, “If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize.” Despite his apologies, Republicans demanded Mr. Jones quit. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana said in a statement, “His extremist views and coarse rhetoric have no place in this administration or the public debate.” Missouri Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond said Congress should investigate Mr. Jones's fitness for the job. Fox News Channel host Glenn Beck repeatedly denounced Mr. Jones after a group the adviser co-founded, ColorofChange.org , led an advertising boycott against Mr. Beck's show to protest his claim that Mr. Obama is a racist. James Rucker, the organization's executive director, has said Mr. Jones had nothing to do with ColorofChange.org now and didn't even know about the campaign before it started. Mr. Jones, well-known in the environmental movement, was a civil-rights activist in California before shifting his attention to environmental and energy issues. He is known for laying out a broad vision of a green economy. Conservatives have harshly criticized him for having left-wing political views. Nancy Sutley, chair of the council, said in a statement released early Sunday that she accepts Mr. Jones resignation and thanked him for his service. “Over the last six months, he had been a strong voice for creating jobs that improve energy efficiency and utilize renewable resources,” she said. “We appreciate his hard work and wish him the best moving forward.” |
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| broken sticks | Sep 7 2009, 10:26 PM Post #2 |
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nicely timed to gain the public's sympathy for the decision to get him out |
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11:38 AM Nov 25
