March 17, 2005, Loan Wolfowitz
The President continued to give a big hearty Texas style Bronx cheer to his detractors across the pond that began by nominating John "First Thing We Do is Disband the UN" Bolton as the USA Ambassador to the United Nations by nominating Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz as President of the World Bank. (If I'm not mistaken, there's already someone over there named James Wolfensohn, which should keep things nice and confusing, and, hey, whatever the damned Europeans think, the IMF Chief likes the new guy.)
I would say that critics of the appointment are being picky, picky, picky. They should be delighted with ANY appointment that gets him out of the Pentagon, especially if they are unhappy with his advocacy of the Iraq war. And we can stop pretending that the World Bank is anything but a political arm of the United States, primarily making sweetheart loans at the expense of the poorest people on Earth for the benefit of American lenders. (You know, it's been a pretty good month for American lenders, what with the bankruptcy bill and now THIS).
Others just think Wolfowitz advocated the Iraq war as part of a grand Neo-con conspiracy to grab oil. Well, given that ANWR will soon be pockmarked with test wells, the oil industry should be celebrating this month as well... another industry having a great month.
See that? Wolfowitz is just the gift that keeps on giving. Happy St. Patrick's Day, b'gora...