Obama's National security adviser General James Jones is leaving the White House, another of a series of White House figures leaving office as the midterms and the end Barack Obama's second year of office comes to an end.
Obama is scheduled to announce today that Jones will be replaced by his deputy, Tom Donilon. Jones’ resignation will take effect in two weeks.
General Jones was a major figure among the so-called 'Clinton Generals', a group of military figures who were first appointed and advanced in rank during President Clinton's two terms in office.
Jones was noted as a major architect of Obama's strategies involving Af/Pak, the winding down of the war in Iraq and the 'reset' with Russia. Like Obama, Jones was also no fan of the US alliance with Israel. He expressed opposition to American laws barring U.S. firms from joining the Arab boycott of Israel, advocated a forced solution that involved putting NATO forces in the West Bank and was noted recently for making a highly questionable joke with some anti-Semitic overtones as the opener in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy he later apologized for.
I don't think it unlikely that revelations in Bob Woodward's recent book, "Obama's Wars" had a role in his choosing to resign at this time.
He will likely continue as an unofficial adviser to the Obama White House.
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