Obama Adviser Quits Job

President Barack Obama's environmental adviser Van Jones has quit after being tied to comments that suggested the government had a role in the 2001 terror attacks. "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 in his resignation statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." It was a tough week for Jones. Not only did the fact that he had signed a petition in 2004 calling for an investigation of high-level government officials into their involvement in Sept. 11 emerge, but news also came of him making derogatory comments about Republicans. He said he had been "inundated with calls from across the political spectrum urging me to stay and fight." For a White House trying to right health care reform, and encourage bipartisan assistance, the controversy had terrible timing. This afternoon, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded on This Week, saying, "What Van Jones decided was that the agenda of this president was bigger than any one individual. The president thanks Van Jones for his service in the first eight months."