Van Jones, the Obama Administrations Special Adviser for Green Jobs at the Council on Environmental Quality--AKA the "Green Jobs Czar"--resigned from his position late Saturday following increased criticism for authoring The Green Collar Economy and for his ties to groups like the Apollo Alliance, ACORN, STORM, Color of Change, and the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.
For Jones, the nail in the coffin seems to be his 2004 signature on a 911Truth.org petition that, among many things, called for "immediate public attention to unanswered questions that suggest that people within the current administration may indeed have deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen, perhaps as a pretext for war." Despite being called one of "100 notable Americans" to sign the petition, Jones has said, "I do not agree with this statement and it certainly does not reflect my views now or ever."
According to the right wing, Jones's position in the administration demonstrates that Obama is a radical socialist hellbent on destroying America. Their attacks stepped up after Jones publicly referred to Republicans as "assholes." Influential conservative commentator and comedian Glenn Beck has also attacked Jones on numerous occasions.
From Jones's resignation letter:
"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide. I have been inundated with calls - from across the political spectrum -- urging me to 'stay and fight.' But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."