Deputy Homeland Security Chief to Retire

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- James Loy, the No. 2 official at the Homeland Security Department and former head of the Transportation Security Administration, is retiring, the agency announced Monday.

Loy will remain on the job until March 1 or until a successor is confirmed by the Senate. His resignation, coupled with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's planned Feb. 1 departure, means the 180,000-person agency will be without its two top officials.

Ridge thanked Loy for his service, saying "his presence, leadership and counsel have been invaluable to the country."

Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., chairman of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, said he was concerned by the dual resignations.

"The loss of two key leaders in rapid succession has to be worrisome and replacements of their caliber will be hard to find," he said.

President Bush's original choice to replace Ridge, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, withdrew his name after acknowledging he had employed an illegal alien as a nanny and failed to make required Social Security payments. Bush has yet to make another choice.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-homeland-security-loy,0,260378.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[madrchsod]

1. what respectable person would take the job?

hell bush`s last guy is a real life tony soprano

[Racenut20]

2. Have no fear. Asa is near

Arkansas' "family values" guy. He is a career drinker from the public trough and probably needs the job to pay his alimony.

[TahitiNut]

3. I knew Jim Loy at the USCGA back in '61-63

A rather ordinary guy, somewhat conservative and very much an "organization man" but not a bad sort.

[TahitiNut]

4. Strange.

(I thought this might invite some kind of comment. Hmph. Go figure.) :shrug:

[Historic NY]

5. Not really......usually the #2 runs the organization....and he was picked.

for his skill in organizing things. I have several friends like that, they could straighten out any nightmare but would prefer not to be the front man.

[maddezmom]

6. hey I know him, too

was friends with his daughter. :)

[Deja Q]

7. What have they done except needlessly terrify the public?

They should be fired.

Wait, their actions helped * get seemingly legitimately elected (which I'm skeptical about but can only point to the paperless machines and cry out... which is still far more than the persons I'd put TRUST in would even begin to do. :-( )