By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 29 minutes ago
LONDON - A member of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party quit his defense post Wednesday to protest the government's handling of the Mideast crisis and its close alignment with the United States.
Lawmaker Jim Sheridan said he was stepping down as a parliamentary private secretary to the Ministry of Defense.
"I can no longer support our government's close relationship with America and their objectives for the Middle East," he wrote in a resignation letter to Blair which his office released.
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