Alexander Burns Alexander Burns – Sun Sep 6, 10:15 am ET When President Barack Obama's green jobs adviser, Van Jones, submitted his resignation this weekend, he became the first casualty of the Obama administration not to go quietly.
Where other departing officials have given explanations about process or used predictable lines about spending more time with their families, Jones released a statement accusing his critics of using "lies and distortions" about him to divert attention from the White House's agenda.
"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said.
Also breaking with this White House's custom, the administration offered no reason for Jones's resignation. There was no smoke screen of administrative excuses, just a thank-you statement from Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley — and Jones's own acknowledgment that he had become a liability after his name was found attached to petitions questioning the U.S. government's role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Jones's fiery exit presents an unusually clear picture of the political calculus that drives staffing decisions in the Obama White House. Starting in the transition period, when a host of nominees withdrew (sometimes with a push from the president-elect's team) rather than face daunting confirmation battles, Obama and his closest aides have shown limited willingness to take heat for advisers' mistakes — and no sentimental attachment to outsiders who fail to meet expectations.
Here's a look back at other officials who have lost their jobs in this administration and how they handled things differently from Jones.
Louis Caldera
It was just hours after Air Force One's April 27 flyover of lower Manhattan that White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera apologized for the first time.
"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," Caldera, a former Army secretary, said in a statement on the now-infamous photo op. "It's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."
Rather than canning Caldera immediately, the White House initiated a review of the flyover incident, spearheaded by deputy chief of staff Jim Messina. Almost two weeks later, late on a Friday afternoon, the White House released Messina's report, along with a letter from Caldera explaining that the blowup had "made it impossible for me to effectively lead the White House Military Office."
"It has become a distraction to the important work you are doing as President," Caldera wrote in a message addressed to Obama. "After much reflection, I believe it is incumbent on me to tender my resignation and step down as Director of the White House Military Office."
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