(Thumbnail image from EarthFirst.com)

“I think of myself as a green jobs handyman. My job is to make sure that the President’s desire to have millions of green jobs in this country turns into reality.” --Van Jones (CNN)

“Do you agree with me he should be fired immediately? Yea of course. Get the hook out. This is disgraceful.”--Sean Hannity (FOX News)

The White House announced early Sunday that Van Jones - dubbed the ‘Green Jobs Czar’ –would in fact resign. Today we look back at what led to Jones’ resignation with help from media outlets across the political spectrum.

Over the last few weeks the ‘Special Advisor for Green Jobs’ has been all over the Internet, trending on Twitter and a focal point on FOX News. Sunday morning “Van Jones resigns” was the most popular search term on Google.

So how did an Obama advisor draw such attention? Some give FOX News the credit. Anchors like Glenn Beck pulled the relative unknown into the limelight – reporting Jones’ signed a petition and organized a “9/11 Truther” rally. ‘9/11 Truthers’ suggest Bush, not Bin Laden was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Here’s more of Beck profiling Jones’ colorful past.

“A major turning point came in 1993 when he was arrested during the Rodney King riots. In jail he quote “met all these young radical people of color. I mean really radical, communists and anarchists and it was like this is what I need to be a part of” end quote.” “Jones says, “By August I was a communist”. He spent the next ten years as a full-fledged radical.” (FOX News)

Howard Kurtz on CNN’s Reliable Sources has the view none of this would be an issue if Glenn Beck hadn’t made it one. He speculates Beck’s underlying motive for throwing Van under the bus.

“And why is it that Glenn Beck would target this relatively obscure White House official, along with that scary music. Jones is a co-founder of Color of Change, an advocacy group that’s been promoting an advertising boycott of Beck’s show over his denunciation of President Obama as a racist. Some three dozen advertisers have pulled their spots from the program, a detail that Beck somehow neglected to mention.” (CNN)

Eva Paterson, Jones’ first boss also disputes Beck’s charges of communism in the Huffington Post.

“this charge is easily refuted - most obviously by the pro-business, market-based ideas Van has promoted for years, including in his best-selling book, The Green Collar Economy. Van's book is a veritable song of praise to capitalism, especially the socially responsible and eco-friendly kind.”

MSNBC’s Mike Viqueira has the perspective that regardless of how this sudden controversy erupted and who’s right – the story is on the out.

“Here is a White House advisor, the Green Jobs Czar who’s had to resign amid a swirl of controversy. I guess the good news is if there is any for the Administration is that he did so on a Saturday night over the Labor Day weekend which is a great place where bad news goes to die.” (MSNBC)

Finally as the resignation broke Sunday morning conservative blogger Michelle Malkin summed up the two sides of the debate. She highlights the following lead paragraph in the New York Times…

“In a victory for Republicans and the Obama administration’s conservative critics, Van Jones resigned as the White House’s environmental jobs “czar” on Saturday.”

Malkin blogged “let’s rewrite that sentence”…

“In a victory for public disclosure and transparency over the Obama administration’s secrecy and evasion, the White House’s environmental jobs “czar” resigned on Saturday.”

So are you pleased that Jones’ resigned? Is it a victory for Republicans and Obama’s conservative critics or as Malkin suggests a victory for public disclosure?

Van Jones Resignation Letter to White House (FOX News)

"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.
It has been a great honor to serve my country and my President in this capacity. I thank everyone who has offered support and encouragement. I am proud to have been able to make a contribution to the clean energy future. I will continue to do so, in the months and years ahead."