WASHINGTON - Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) and Commerce Secretary Don Evans resigned Tuesday, the first members of President Bush (news - web sites)'s Cabinet to leave as he headed from re-election into his second term.
The resignations were announced by White House press secretary Scott McClellan, who said Bush had accepted the decisions of both secretaries.
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved," Ashcroft wrote in a five-page, handwritten letter to Bush.
"Yet I believe that the Department of Justice (news - web sites) would be well served by new leadership and fresh inspiration," said Ashcroft, whose health problems earlier this year resulted in removal of his gall bladder.
"I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons," he said.
Both Ashcroft and Evans have served in Bush's Cabinet from the start of the administration. Evans, a close friend of Bush's from Texas, wrote, "While the promise of your second term shines bright, I have concluded with deep regret that it is time for me to return home."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...e/bush_cabinet
Now lets pray they are not replaced by even worse people.
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