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Tom Ridge resigned as state governor to join
the cabinet (Agencies) |
US
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has announced his resignation from
President George Bush's cabinet.
He said he was stepping down to pay "more attention to personal
matters".
Mr Ridge was appointed by President Bush to be the first White House
homeland security adviser within weeks of the 11 September hijacks.
He said he would remain at the head of the 180,000-strong department
until 1 February next year, unless the Senate confirms his successor
earlier.
He was charged by Mr Bush with rethinking security arrangements and
preventing further attacks on US territory.
"I will always be grateful for his call to service," Mr Ridge said on
Tuesday.
"There will always be more to do, but today, America is significantly
stronger and safer than ever before," he said.
Mr Ridge was responsible for raising the national
security level to "orange alert" on six occasions because of fears of an
imminent
terrorist
attack.
He has always fiercely denied accusations that some alerts were timed
to boost support for Mr Bush.
The former Pennsylvania governor had been widely expected to leave his
position.
He is the latest cabinet member to announce his resignation since Mr
Bush was re-elected on 2 November.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General John Ashcroft and
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans have all stepped down in the last few
weeks.
The AP news agency quoted an email circulated by Mr Ridge to staff in
his department, praising it as "an extraordinary organisation that each
day contributes to keeping America safe and free".
He said he was privileged to work with
people "who go to work every day dedicated to making our country better
and more secure".
Mr Ridge was elected to Congress six times before becoming Pennsylvania
governor in 1995.
He gave up that post in October 2001, when Mr Bush asked him to oversee
the merger of 22 government agencies into the homeland security
department.
Several people have been touted as possible successors to Mr Ridge.
They include Frances Townsend, the president's adviser on homeland
security, and Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary for homeland security.
Other names in circulation are Mitt Romney, the
governor of Massachusetts, and Mike Leavitt, who ran security
for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2004-12-01 14:46