Michael Flatley Resigns As Secretary of the Dance

WASHINGTON (CT) - In a tearful press conference at Dance Department Headquarters, Michael Flatley announced that he had submitted his resignation as President Bush's Secretary of the Dance. "We've made a lot of progress these last four years," Flatley said. "But I'd like to spend more time with my wife and children, and so it's time for someone else to take the reins here at the DOD." Flatley said he would stay in his post until President Bush had named a successor. Flatley is the latest member of the Bush Cabinet not to stay on for the President's second term, a group that includes Secretary of State Colin Powell, Commerce Secretary Don Evans, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Homeland Security head Tom Ridge. Flatley's tenure as Secretary of the Dance was marked with some successes and some controversies. He earned high marks from lawmakers as a tough administrator who revitalized the Department of Dance in the wake of Secretary Tommy Tune's stormy reign. But Democrats accused him of using the post for political purposes when he reclassified dances that are popular with liberals, like the Hustle and the Mashed Potato, as Category 3 dances, which are strictly controlled by federal agencies. Washington insiders expect Bush to promote from within the GOP ranks. "Most likely he'll choose somebody loyal to the Administration, who will stay in lockstep with the second-term agenda,"Â? said one Republican source. "Britney Spears is a name I'm hearing a lot... that statement she made 'I guess we should, like, support the President or whatever' tipped the balance in the election, Bush may repay her for that with a Cabinet post." The White House issued a statement saying "Dance Secretary Flatley has served his country well and the nation thanks him for his service."