COME BACK, WOLFIE, ALL IS FORGIVEN:

Bush Sends Another Neocon to Head the World Bank (Sarah Anderson, May 31, 2007, Foreign Policy in Focus)

Nine days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, I opened up the Washington Post and stared right into the flinty mind of one Robert B. Zoellick, the Bush administration's pick for World Bank president.

While the rest of the country was still in a haze of horror and confusion, Zoellick had seized the moment to advance his agenda as U.S. trade representative. In a commentary titled "Fighting Terror With Trade," he argued that Congress needed to pass fast-track trade negotiating authority as part of its support for the "War on Terror."

Having failed to sell the legislation on its merits, Zoellick had moved with breathtaking speed to take advantage of public fears and pressure on lawmakers to stand with the president during a national crisis.

In a speech at the Institute for International Economics four days later, Zoellick really let loose by insinuating that there were links between the Sept. 11 terrorists and anti-globalization protestors.

"In the wake of the shock of 13 days ago, many people will struggle to understand why terrorists hate the ideas America has championed around the world," Zoellick said. "It is inevitable that people will wonder if there are intellectual connections with others who have turned to violence to attack international finance, globalization and the United States."

Zoellick's hardball tactics worked.

In other words, he's a more effective Wolfowitz.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 1, 2007 7:06 AM