Paul Wolfowitz busy neo-conning World Bank (Steve Clemons)

[swag]

Paul Wolfowitz Busy Neo-Conning the World Bank: Staff Rebellion Brewing

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001196.php

Paul Wolfowitz, architect of America's failing foray into Iraq as Rumsfeld's former Deputy at the Pentagon, now heads the World Bank and finally seems like his true self is coming out of the closet.

In recent months, picking up steam in recent weeks, there has been a massive exodus of top talent from the World Bank. According to reports, the senior Ethics Officer at the Bank has departed. Also on the exit roster are the Vice President for East Asia & Pacific, the Chief Legal Counsel, the Bank's top Managing Director, the Director of Institutional Integrity (which monitors internal and external corruption), the Vice President for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, and the head of ISG (Information Solutions Group).

According to one senior insider who feels as if Wolfowitz is gut-punching the most talented teams at the bank and indicated that morale is plummeting, "Wolfowitz just does not talk to his Vice Presidents. He speaks to a few close advisors -- Kevin Kellems, Robin Cleveland, Karl Jackson, some others -- but a lot of very good people are leaving."

What Wolfowitz has done that has started a serious wave of negative sentiment against him among his ranks is that he has appointed Kevin Kellems -- Vice President Cheney's former Communications Director and Spokesman -- as a "director" of the bank, which formally reports to a Vice President of the Bank -- while at the same time making him Senior Advisor to Wolfowitz.

In other words, Wolfowitz is forcing a political appointment at the "director level" of the bank -- which is never done. "Director" positions are fairly low in the World Bank bureaucracy and are filled by a competitive process and the merits of one's work -- not political imposition.

. . . more

[Village Idiot]

1. Gut the talent first, THEN rape and pillage what remains.

It seems Wolfie has not forgotten the lessons of the Iraqi "reconstruction."

In the words of Bruce Cockburn:

Padded with power here they come
international loan sharks backed by the guns
of market hungry military profiteers
whose word is a swamp and whose brow is smeared
with the blood of the poor

Who rob life of its quality
who render rage a necessity
by turning countries into labour camps
modern slavers in drag as champions of freedom

Sinister cynical instrument
who makes the gun into a sacrament --
the only response to the deification
of tyranny by so-called "developed" nations'
idolatry of ideology

North south east west
kill the best and buy the rest
it's just spend a buck to make a buck
you don't really give a flying fuck
about the people in misery

IMF dirty MF
takes away everything it can get
always making certain that there's one thing left
keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

See the paid-off local bottom feeders
passing themselves off as leaders
kiss the ladies shake hands with the fellows
open for business like a cheap bordello

And they call it democracy
and they call it democracy
and they call it democracy
and they call it democracy

See the loaded eyes of the children too
trying to make the best of it the way kids do
one day you're going to rise from your habitual feast
to find yourself staring down the throat of the beast
they call the revolution

IMF dirty MF
takes away everything it can get
always making certain that there's one thing left
keep them on the hook with insupportable debt

[KoKo]

2. The Bushies are "King of the WORLD!" They've been given it ALL!

No wonder they are "full of themselves" and the Media performs like the Court Jesters with bells on their toes and "fool's jokes."

But, the "Jesters" were what gave them the power. Without a "free Media" there is no Democracy.

Congress gave it away in the 90's. When we had a Democratic Senate and President. They gave it away...and this is the result. :-(

[acmavm]

3. He's gutting the World Bank so there won't be anyone around to object

to Wolfie have to supply the bush** admin with a massive loan (since they've totally bankrupted this country).

[LarryWilson]

4. Wolfowitz: a wolf in an idiot's clothing

Wolfy hasn't changed since his early days at PNAC.

The Neocons have always supported 'privatization'; i.e.
bribing a greedy government into selling out it's country's
assets - and future.

Privatization has been shown, time and time again, to strip
from the poor and give to the rich.

The professionals at the World Bank want no part of this, so
they're leaving.

Oh, and the great wave of rich countries forgiving debts?  How
else do you leave the country's assets unencumbered so that
they may be sold to the rich?  For the rich, it's merely an
up-front investment, not charity.