Clarke leaving cybersecurity post next month

Richard Clarke, the White House cybersecurity czar, will resign after he finishes the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace early next month. Clarke announced that he submitted his resignation to President Bush in a memo to the Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a nonprofit organization formed by technology vendors to share information about network security.Clarke released a draft of the national strategy in September, and agencies and the private sector submitted comments through November. Now, the plan is being finalized and is due out in early February.In his letter to ISAC, Clarke said it is essential to the health of the nation's economy and security that the national strategy is implemented, especially after the chaos the Sapphire worm caused last week. "Every major federal agency has a role," he wrote. "The White House will remain essential. Congressional attention, support and oversight must continue. Active partnership with and by the private sector will be crucial." He did not mention his future plans in the letter. President Bush named Clarke to his position in October 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Clarke previously coordinated the National Security Council's work on security, infrastructure and counterterrorism. In all, he spent the last 11 years working in the White House and more than 30 years in federal service.