By a Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 27, 2002; 5:25 PM


The president's special adviser for terrorism, retired Army Gen. Wayne Downing, is leaving the government.

The surprise move was announced by the White House this afternoon.

"Basically, he's completed the initial taskings that the president and Dr. [Condoleezza] Rice set for him," said Sean McCormick, a spokesman for the National Security Council. "He's going to stay in close contact with the administration."

McCormick said he didn't know precisely when Downing is leaving, but said it would be soon. He declined to discuss what Downing plans to do next.

Downing, a terrorism expert and a former chief of the military's Special Operations Command, was brought into the White House last fall as the deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism.

He also has been involved in the administration's consideration of how to attack Iraq and its arsenal of chemical and biological weapons. He has been an advocate of what has come to be known as "the Downing plan" for confronting Iraq, which involves using a mix of U.S. Special Operations troops, U.S. airpower and Iraqi rebels to topple Saddam Hussein. His plan has been opposed by much of the top brass, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who are inclined toward more of a Gulf War-like force of at least 200,000 troops that would take several months to build up.

Downing met earlier this year with leaders of two Kurdish parties based in Northern Iraq, an area protected by U.S. and British air patrols that try to enforce a "no-fly" zone for Hussein's aircraft.

Downing could not be reached for comment.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company

Rats fleeing a sinking ship

Quoted:
Rats fleeing a sinking ship?