More Evidence That The Times Are A-Changin'

Last month, Charles "Cully" Stimson, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, suggested that U.S. companies boycott law firms that represent Guantanamo detainees. Had Stimson made his remarks two years ago, he would have probably gotten a raise and been given the Medal of Freedom.

Those days, however, are apparently over:

The Pentagon official who criticized law firms for defending detainees held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has resigned due to the backlash over his remarks, a Defense Department spokesman said on Friday.

Charles "Cully" Stimson, deputy assistant secretary for detainee affairs, last month called it "shocking" that major U.S. law firms represented Guantanamo detainees for free and said they would likely suffer financially after their corporate clients learned of the work.

"He made the decision based on the current controversy," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. "He believed it hampered his ability to be effective in this position."

Stimson, himself a lawyer, submitted his resignation on Thursday and his last day in the position would be Friday, Whitman said, stressing Defense Secretary Robert Gates did not ask him to resign.

The Pentagon disavowed his remarks and Stimson apologized, saying he supported pro bono work and that the legal system worked best when both sides had competent representation.

And speaking of changing times, Bush made a surprise visit to a diner in Peoria last Tuesday, and his reception there wasn't exactly what he expected:

[T]he surprise was on Bush. In town to deliver remarks on the economy, the president walked into the diner, where he was greeted with what can only be described as a sedate reception. No one rushed to shake his hand. There were no audible gasps or yelps of excitement that usually accompany visits like this. Last summer, a woman nearly fainted when Bush made an unscheduled visit for some donut holes at the legendary Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant in Chicago. In Peoria this week, many patrons found their pancakes more interesting. Except for the click of news cameras and the clang of a dish from the kitchen, the quiet was deafening.

“Sorry to interrupt you,” Bush said to a group of women, who were sitting in a booth with their young kids. “How’s the service?” As Bush signed a few autographs and shook hands, a man sitting at the counter lit a cigarette and asked for more coffee. Another woman, eyeing Bush and his entourage, sighed heavily and went back to her paper. She was reading the obituaries. “Sorry to interrupt your breakfast,” a White House aide told her. “No problem,” she huffed, in a not-so-friendly way. “Life goes on, I guess.”