President Bush issues a statement about Fran Townsend's resignation

The Bush Administration lost another top leader this week.  Fran Townsend has announced that she is stepping down from her post in counter-terrorism.

The President issued a statement praising Townsend's work for the administration to date.

"Fran always has provided wise counsel on how best to protect the American people from the threat of terrorism," the president said in his statement.

"She has been a steady leader in the effort to prevent and disrupt attacks and to better respond to natural disasters."