World Bank’s Wolfowitz & The Divided World
President George W. Bush seems to have thrown a protective ring around the controversial World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz to save him from the ‘hounds’ who are baying for his blood.
The White House spokesman, Tony Snow, told reporters: “He (Wolfowitz) made mistakes, that is obvious. On the other hand, it’s not a firing offence.”
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, admitted Mr Wolfowitz’s error, but said it was not serious enough to cost him his job. “It doesn’t seem to be the kind of thing that you would want to see the dismissal of the World Bank president over,” she said.
“Mr Wolfowitz’s greatest strength yesterday appeared to be his support from the administration he served. Mr Wolfowitz was the number two figure at the Pentagon and a prominent architect of the Iraq war until he joined the bank two years ago, says Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian
“Mr Wolfowitz secured a promotion and $60,000 (£30,000) rise for Shaha Riza, a communications officer. In its report to the bank board on Monday, the committee investigating Mr Wolfowitz’s handling of the conflict of interest between his post as World Bank president and his personal life was unsparing.
“Not only did the panel find that Mr Wolfowitz broke bank rules in the compensation package for Ms Riza, but it said that he had put the institution in danger.”
