Wolfowitz’s Fall Brings More Bad News for Bush
The announcement by Paul Wolfowitz Thursday that he was stepping down soon as World Bank chief marked yet another blow for US President George W. Bush as his Republican administration nears its end.
Wolfowitz, one of the key neoconservative engineers of the strategy that led the United States to war in Iraq, owed his post at the World Bank to the Bush administration, even though he had not served the president since 2005. 
The White House had resolutely stood by its former deputy defense secretary as the month-long scandal over a pay package Wolfowitz secured for his girlfriend unfolded, but in past days, as World Bank directors discussed the scandal, its support began to crumble.
“We would have preferred that he stay at the bank, but the president reluctantly accepts his decision,” the White House said in a statement just after Wolfowitz announced he would resign effective June 30.
“The president will have a candidate to announce soon, allowing for an orderly transition that will have the World Bank refocused on its mission.”
Wolfowitz’s departure was a reminder of the tough times facing the Bush camp, but analysts pointed out that even the very public fall from grace of a longtime pal was hardly at the top of Bush’s list of concerns.
“This is one of the least of his worries,” said political analyst Larry Sabato. “Remember this was a soft landing job for Wolfowitz after he left the Pentagon.”
“Iraq is his biggest worry and I would even put Attorney General (Alberto) Gonzales as more of a problem than Wolfowitz,” said Sabato, referring to Bush’s loyal supporter who is at the center of a scandal over the allegedly political sackings of nine federal prosecutors.
The chaos brewing in Iraq is a source of constant pressure for Bush, who has until September to come up with a new, last-ditch strategy amid increasing opposition from the Democratic-controlled Congress which wants to set a deadline for withdrawal.
Waning support for the war exacted a heavy toll on Bush’s Republicans during the November election and the party’s loss of seats in the House and Senate means Bush is facing stormy times ahead.
The electoral defeat sealed the fate of former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who Bush stood by for months just as he has with many of his loyal allies.
But now even some Republicans are turning against Bush, concerned about their chances in the presidential and legislative elections in 2008.
Democrats, meanwhile, are seizing every opportunity to contest Bush’s authority — domestically, economically and even globally.
With one scandal after another, Bush has barely a 35 percent approval rating, and even that dove to 28 percent according to a recent Newsweek magazine poll.
“I think it’s an embarrassment to the president in that Wolfowitz was so closely associated with him. And here is another senior Bush person in deep trouble,” Sabato said.
A Washington Post columnist last month wrote that: “Today’s topic is credibility — specifically, recent claims by certain high-ranking present, former and perhaps soon-to-be-former Bush administration officials.”
“The aim is to answer a simple question: Should we believe these three Bush loyalists if they tell us that rain falls down instead of up, or should we look out the window to make sure?” columnist Eugene Robinson asked.
Political guru Karl “Rove, Wolfowitz and Gonzales are making the last-ditch argument of a cheating husband caught in flagrante: Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?”
Political analyst Eric Davis said the Bush administration is unraveling bit by bit.
The Wolfowitz matter is “just a further indication of the decline in influence of the neoconservatives,” he said.
With key neoconservatives Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld and former US ambassador John Bolton all gone from their posts, of the “principal architects of the Iraq war … (Vice President) Dick Cheney is really the only one left in office now,” Davis said.
“It’s just a further indication of the decline in influence of the neoconservatives.”
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse
The closing of Wolfowitz’s job gives the current cabal less than 45 days of certainty to finish ‘borrowing’ the most that they can from other nations before they risk losing control of the purse strings. Since the US treasury has long been emptied out the back door into the pockets of Blackwater, KBR, Halliburton and other friendly entities, the only cash flow is coming from maxing out the foreign borrowing allowance that has yet to be frozen. This is headed out the same back door into private hands never to be seen again.
The real danger is that any strike plans for Iran must now be accelerated if they hope to radioactively contaminate their oil wells using nuclear bunker busters, thus ensuring China and Russia will falter in their progress since this oil will be made unusable for several thousand years.
This will probably contain Russia’s strengthening, but China will still continue to grow, having too much momentum not to, but it will cost them much more since the only viable oil supplier will be Saudi Arabia, which just happens to have an open wallet arrangement with the very same Cabal that by the dawning of 2009 will have effectively destroyed the United States of America.
Oh, and 9/11 executed by barely trained Cessna pilots? No.
Secondary ‘black boxes’ installed in advance. Plane reaches set altitude to begin climb to cruising. Box turns on, disables radio, pilot controls, radar transponder and primary auto-pilot. Programmed auto-pilot with target coordinates probably yanked right out of a cruise missile takes over. Flies aircraft to target. *BOOM* *BOOM* instant pretext to launder the entire treasury out from under the nose of the American people.
The whole world has been had and unless something changes drastically they’re still going to get away with it.
This cabal is being backed into a corner and I doubt they’ll go quietly or empty handed.
Stinger, you should try to keep your remarks on point (a point fairly raised by the article) and factually supportable by sources. (By way of example, to take your first point, the US is not a borrower from the World Bank, as you seem to imply).
Josh, You should try to restrain your fascist impulses. Nobody made you the post police here.
I believe very strongly that Stinger is exactly on target–which is what bent your rod, apparently.
The US has a 16 plus percent share in the World Bank–which means it has both veto power and access to monies from the 185 member countries. This Wolfowitz deal is not even the tip of the iceberg of the shenanagins that they’ve been pulling.
Josh May 18th, 2007 2:15 pm
The U.S. is not a borrower from the World Bank. In fact, it is a primary source of the bank’s funds. However, one should note that this blatant, brazen loan sharking operation was created to drive its borrowers into bankruptcy and appropriate their property. By “the borrowers” I mean the country, not the corrupt dicators who stole all the money and left their nations in tatters on the first flight to Monaco. The World Bank should be closed down and its officers, past and present, should be indicted for extortion.
So should everything else that the US government has a controlling interest in be closed down.
Yeah. OK. I’ve seen what passes for facts in the USA. Sources are completely suspect, either bought and paid for or completely ficticious creations. Political opposition has no teeth and less relevance save to play out some sick little game of ‘King of the Castle’ over the scraps left behind. The game could still play out until 2009, but I doubt they’ll take that risk, I’ll either be right or wrong inside of 45 days.
AND SO IT GOES…..
“The president will have a candidate to announce soon, allowing for an orderly transition that will have the World Bank refocused on its mission.”
Will he announce John Bolton?
Reuters has just made mention that Tony Blair is a possible replacement. (Yup, the outgoing Brit PM) Might explain the timing and why he’s no longer resisting an end to his role as PM.
Interesting development. Maybe they will get their long war after all.
These A-holes can’t do anything fairly or good for anybody, even themselves, i.e. destroying their own, and own children’s, planet.
The worst part is that he (Bush) and his close allies, Blackwater, KBR, Halliburton, DynCorp and the other “friendly” war contractors, are on Bushs’ side. If we do go to war with Iran we could be taken over by the very groups we use to do the military dirty work. Mercenaries dont care who pays them its just a job. Keep your kids inside! The World Bank rapes entire countries! These are their friends!
http://www.voxfux.com/features/dynacorp_child_sexual_slavery.html
P.S. Politicians! They are all in it together(bed).
What really pisses me off is that the creep’s sleazeball lawyer negotiated at least a $375,000 payoff for him to resign.
That money would go a fair distance in a LEGITIMATE Third World development project.
You did a heckuva job, Wolfie.
I predict that Tony Blair will be Bushs choice to replace “Wolfie” . . . Remember you read it here first . . .
Wolfie will in all probability buy the villa next door to the one Richard Perle has owned for a number of years in the south of France. Bush and friends have lterally killed the goose [the USA] that lays the golden eggs. And in the process proved the wisdom of a Chinese sage that “the best way to defeat an enemy” is to make sure he defeats himself.
The nightmare that has befallen 300 million Americans is that they were baboomzled by a cabal of neocons and greedy capitalists whose poster boy was [is]* Ken Lay and his pals.
* This is for those who claim that Ken D. is not dead by demanding “show us where he’s
buried” and several who insist that they have seen him at the last Carnaval in Rio.
Whats more important is not the Bad news for Bush its whats the good news for America?
I think Keith Olbermann nailed the prediction of Wolfie’s replacement: Alberto Gonzalez.
“The President will have a candidate to announce soon, allowing for an orderly transition that will have the World Bank refocused on its mission.”
I hope that mission is to eliminate poverty throughout the world as was originally intended. In the 63 years of its existence the World Bank has yet to do that. On the contrary, the World Bank makes global poverty worse by leveling unjust interest rates to third world nations.
35% still support Bush. About 35% also believe Jesus will return in 2007. Probably just a coincidence.