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Van Jones called Republicans what most of the people who voted for Obama call them. And he signed a statement calling for further inquiry and explanation of 9/11-- the original 9/11 truth document. Was he left hanging by the Obama Administration for doing what scores of millions of Americans would also do?
Van Jones has been the target of a vicious smear campaign for weeks. Tonight, he resigned his position as special adviser for green jobs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Apparently, the White House and president Obama did not stand behind Jones, one of the most respected leaders in the ecological movement. The Washington Post reported,
'White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that Jones
"continues to work for the administration" -- but he did not state that
the adviser enjoys the full support of President Obama, instead
referring all questions to the environmental council where he worked,
signaling the resignation was imminent.'
Jones recently issued two apologies. One was for calling Republicans "assholes." The other was for signing a statement in 2004 supporting a call for further investigation of 9/11, which suggested that the Government might have had a role in the 911 attack. The original document can be found here, with Van Jones the 46th signatory (and this writer was the 47th.) Ironically, one of the most vocal "birthers, who question the validity of Obama's birth certificate, Phillip J. Berg, was also a signatory of the same statement, 8th on the list.
This resignation will probably seen as a double victory for Glenn Beck and his fans. Beck mounted a toxic attack campaign against Jones, with multiple lies and false accusations cast against Jones. I say a double victory because the right wing echo chamber, including many members of Congress played a role in the attempt to destroy this man's reputation.
I've followed Van Jones ascent for a number of years. He's been featured on the covers of countless magazine covers as a man of sparkling vision and integrity. He exudes it when you meet him. There's something wrong with the Obama administration's failure to stand behind him.
Jones issued a statement just after midnight, early on September 6th, stating,
"I am resigning my post at the Council on Environmental Quality, effective today. 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."
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."
I say that this is a double victory because the Obama White House response will do damage to the relationship of the White House and perhaps the Democratic Party with progressives, 9/11 Truthers and perhaps all of the people who still question the report and findings of the 9/11 commission. Multiple polls have indicated that over 40% of respondents feel that questions were unanswered.
Over the past few weeks, Glenn Beck repeatedly hammered false claims that Jones was a "Czar"-- a term that some media people had applied to him, and that he was a communist. All across America, Beck listeners were citing this at the town halls of the August congressional break.
With the taste of fresh blood, one has to ask, who will Beck and his right wing dogs go after next, now that they know Obama and his team will leave them hanging?
