by Frank James, updated and revised at 11:48 am CDT

Housing and Urban Development Secretay Alphonso Jackson is out.

Jackson, a man a lot of people in Washington wouldn't recognize as a big shot but for his security detail, has been paradoxically a controversial and anonymous figure in President Bush's cabinet because of allegations that he has misused his position to help friends and hurt political opponents of the administration.

The Wall Street Journal last night was first to report that Jackson was headed for the exit.

Jackson had a 10 am mpress conference in which he actually used the cliched line that he's leaving to spend more time with his family.

Here are his brief remarks:

SEC. JACKSON: Good morning.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Good morning.

SEC. JACKSON: On April 18th I will step down as the secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. There come a time when one must attend diligently to personal and family matters. Now is such a time for me.

I have devoted more than 30 years of my life to improve housing opportunities for all Americans, regardless of income, skin color or spoken accent. My life work has been to build a better community that families are proud to call home.

Several years ago, President Bush gave me an extraordinary opportunity to serve HUD and the nation. As the son of a lead smelter and nurse midwife, and the last of 12 children, never did I imagine I would serve America in such a way. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

During my tenure here, I have sought to make America a better place to live, work and raise families. We have helped families keep their homes. We have transformed public housing. We have reduced chronic homelessness. And we have preserved affordable housing and increased minority homeownership. We have done this together.

I will say that I take great pride in working alongside some of the most dedicated civil servants in America. The hardworking people here at HUD make a difference in the lives of thousands of Americans daily. Marcia and I want to thank you for the many acts of kindness we have received over the last seven years, and I say this from the bottom of my heart: May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our country. Thank you for the opportunity.

Jackson's departure would be mostly ignored if it weren't for the charges that have swirled about him as well as the fact that there is this not-so-little matter of a foreclosure crisis currently, a problem HUD is an important player in helping to resolve.

Anyway, this is one to keep watching. Bush is particularly loyal to his Texas crew and Jackson is someone who came to Washington from the Lone Star State with Bush.

That Jackson would be leaving now, with so little time left in the administration and with HUD's importance amplified because of the housing crisis is going to make Washington suspicion-meters go off the chart.

The White House issued the following statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release March 31, 2008

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson announced his decision to leave the Department after seven years of dedicated service. I have known Alphonso Jackson for many years, and I have known him to be a strong leader and a good man. I have accepted his resignation with regret.

Secretary Jackson is a great American success story. The youngest of twelve children – his father was a foundry worker and his mother was a nurse mid-wife – Alphonso has always understood the value of hard work and equal opportunity for all Americans.

For more than three decades, he has worked to help more Americans become homeowners and strengthen communities throughout our Nation. While leading the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Alphonso made significant progress in transforming public housing, revitalizing and modernizing the Federal Housing Administration, increasing affordable housing, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, decreasing homelessness, and increasing minority homeownership.

Laura and I treasure our strong friendship with Secretary Jackson, his wife Marcia, their daughters Annette and Lesley, and their granddaughter Lauren. We wish them all the best.

By contrast, Democrats had no regrets about the end of the Jackson era at HUD. Here's a statement from Sen. Chris Dodd, who chairs the Senate committee with oversight of HUD:

DODD STATEMENT ON JACKSON RESIGNATION

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, today issued the following statement on the resignation of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Just over a week ago, Senator Dodd sent a letter to President Bush calling for the resignation.

“I recently voiced my concerns about Secretary Jackson’s ability to provide the leadership necessary during these trying times for our country while under the cloud of various investigations into alleged impropriety. I hope this change in personnel will be matched by a change in policy that brings real solutions to the housing crisis that has triggered this economic recession. I stand ready to work with the President and his new HUD Secretary to that end.”