DiIulio Quits White House Post Leading Bush's Faith Initiative.

True to his word and timetable, John J. DiIulio Jr., the resolute point man for President Bush's "compassionate conservatism" faith-based initiative, resigned his post as head of the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiative after six months. A successor had not been appointed at press time.

DiIulio said that he wanted to accomplish three objectives during the six months and in a telephone interview claimed that they have either occurred or are on the horizon. The three goals were: getting legislation to pass through the U.S. House of Representatives, with the possibility of it passing through the U.S. Senate, finishing an audit report, and formulating a relationship with the Corporation for National Service.

"While I never moved to Washington, (D.C.) I didn't relocate my family," explained DiIulio. "And, it was a (difficult) commute from the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia to Union Station" in Washington, D.C., he said.

DiIulio was a lightening rod both inside and outside the White House, a Democrat and academic who reportedly counseled both President Bush and former Vice President Gore, and pulled few punches when discussing charity, government services and the financing of both.

He said he believes that the support of both President Bush and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) will ultimately result in faith-based legislation, most likely this year.

Charles Gould, national president of the Alexandria, Va.-based Volunteers of America recognized the difficult task facing DiIulio and said that he met with many social service organizations and was very committed to the President's faith-based initiative.

Irv Katz, president and chief executive officer of the National Assembly of Health and Human Service Organizations in Washington, D.C., a membership group consisting of both secular and religious organizations believes that DiIulio did what he set out to do and now the concept has a life of its own. "I think he was a spokesperson and that there are other spokespeople and I suspect that the President will appoint another lead spokesperson," Katz said

DiIulio was known for launching verbal hand grenades. But the biggest explosion came when a written memo discussed the Salvation Army and the possible waiving of federal, state and local civil rights laws.

Maj. George Hood, national public affairs officer of the Alexandria, Va.-based Salvation Army, said the organization was merely doing what they were asked by the White House in discussing what they believed to be existing barriers that may stand in the way of partnering with the government. "The only barrier that we had identified was the emergence across the country of municipalities enforcing that religious organizations extend domestic partner benefits to same-sex partners," said Hood. "We pointed out, that while we did not discriminate in our hiring practices this was an issue that was becoming a theological line in the sand, if you will, for the Salvation Army, and for the entire religious community."