President George W. Bush's point man for international terrorism policy has quit several months after botching a major report, the most well-known figure known to have resigned since Mr Bush's re-election.
Mr Cofer Black, the US State Department's coordinator for counterterrorism, caused an embarrassment this year when the administration had to revise a faulty report he oversaw that had been used to argue Mr Bush was winning the war on terrorism.
The report grossly underestimated the number of people who died from international terrorism last year and more than doubled its count of those killed and injured after members of Congress and academics complained of the mistakes.
Mr Black, a former CIA career official and covert operative, told his bosses of his decision well before the election, which Bush won campaigning as a strong leader in the war on terror, State Department spokesman Mr Adam Ereli said last night.
"He informed the State Department a few weeks ago that the transition period after the election would be the right time for him to explore new professional opportunities," said Mr Ereli.
The resignation was part of an expected flurry of changes for senior officials as Mr Bush's war team could be overhauled for his second term.
Mr Black, who held the counterterrorism post for two years, helped carry out Mr Bush's hard-line policy and was a public face of the war the president declared on terrorism after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
In September he drew criticism from Democrats for suggesting the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, could be captured soon.
Despite calls for resignations over the faulty terrorism report, Mr Black retained US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell's support.