Hawkish Bush Advisor Perle Quits Defense Policy Board

Richard N. Perle, a prominent advisor to the Bush administration known for his hawkish views, has resigned from the Defense Policy Board, saying he wanted to avoid being a lightning rod for criticism of the administration during an election year.

Perle submitted his resignation from the board -- a bipartisan advisory group with no decision-making power -- in a Feb. 18 letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

“We are now approaching a long presidential election campaign, in the course of which issues on which I have strong views will be widely discussed and debated,” Perle wrote. “I would not wish those views to be attributed to you or the president at any time, and especially not during a presidential campaign.”

A Pentagon spokesman confirmed the resignation and said Rumsfeld had accepted it, thanking Perle for his 17 years of service on the policy board. The resignation was first reported late Wednesday by Knight Ridder newspapers.

In his letter, Perle wrote that too often his views have been wrongly interpreted as reflecting administration policy.

“This results partly from a misunderstanding about the role and nature of the Defense Policy Board, exacerbated by the controversy surrounding policies I have advocated as a private citizen,” he said.