Support from Wolfie's pack. Earlier, we wondered whether anyone in the Bank was happy at Paul Wolfowitz's appointment. Here's a reply...

"Well, HAPPY may be stretching it for me, a senior member of the Bank's management team, but I have the resigned feeling that it could have been much worse.

"And it's time for most observers (staff members included) to give up on the wish-list of great possibile nominations - Clinton, Dervish, Gates, even Powell - since they are just not going to happen.

"Fighting Wolfowitz too hard and having his nomination fail would potentially bring a second, worse Bush nomination that the Europeans would not have the stomach to fight a second time.

"Carly Fiorina, anyone? Or some addled Texas oilman, "all hat and no cattle"? Perhaps Bud Selig, since, using Bush's logic, the number of professional baseball players at all levels and World Bank staff at all levels are roughly the same?

"So Wolfowitz certainly brings more 'pluses' to the table than some of the other potential Bush candidates - a formidable intellect, an independent personality, administrative experience. The nomination has shown conclusively that the intent of the Bush administration is to try to use the Bank as a tool of its foreign policy. Only someone of Wolfowitz's stature and credibility with Bush can fight this - that is, once we at the Bank have partly sucked him in to our agenda."

Anyone else?

David Steven ~ March 20, 2005

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