WASHINGTON (CNN) - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales received an emotional and staunchly supportive send-off in the final hour of his last day on the job at the Justice Department on Friday.
With a handful of protesters noisily celebrating his departure on the sidewalks outside, Gonzales was praised by no fewer than 10 Justice lieutenants and agency heads - some with their voices cracking.
Gonzales himself at one point wiped tears from his eyes and praised the Justice Department as "a place of inspiration" in his farewell speech.
But he also expressed concern about challenges ahead, noting his day had begun - as always - with an intelligence briefing.
"As I depart, I wish - I wish that I can tell you that work is done. That there are no threats, but I cannot. Our enemy is resourceful and determined, and I will wonder and worry when I'm gone what is being said in those briefings," Gonzales said.
Full story: Gonzales receives praise, standing ovations at farewell ceremony