Senator wants to know why Hathaway quit

Melissa Hathaway, the acting White House cyberczar, just doesn't get to go home after she resigned. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) wants to know why she is leaving the Obama administration. This could be just a formality, but we have to wonder why a powerful senator, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ranking member, is spending any time at all on this.

Although she gave no reason in her resignation letter, Hathaway told reporters that she felt she was not in a strong enough position to effect change.

Adding to that is the prolonged process the administration is undertaking to find a permanent cyberczar, it certainly appeared to be a waiting game no longer worth the wait. Hathaway had been considered a candidate for the job, but in recent weeks, other names had surfaced that might stand a better shot of being named to the position.

In seeking to find out what happened, Collins said she was alarmed by the departure of Hathaway, an extremely knowledgeable person in the federal government.

Collins also signaled that she would have problems with another White House cyberczar because the position "reduces congressional oversight and undermines our ability to confirm individuals to important policy posts."

For more on what happened to Melissa Hathaway:
- check out this nextgov.com article