Bush dilutes support for embattled Wolfowitz --Alex Spillius / Guardian

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/05/15/woolf215.xml



Bush dilutes support for embattled Wolfowitz
By Alex Spillius
Last Updated: 6:47pm BST 15/05/2007



The White House has indicated that its support for Paul Wolfowitz, the under-fire president of the World Bank, is slipping away.......At a briefing today, spokesman Tony Snow qualified the previously resolute support George W Bush has shown for the former deputy defence secretary throughout the eight-week controversy over his future. He said there were two "tracks": the White House's continued endorsement; and the best interests of the bank.

"Again we support him, but we also know, and he has said that he is willing to be sitting down with members of the World Bank to try to figure out the proper way to serve the best interests of the institution," Mr Snow said.

His comments came as Mr Wolfowitz prepared to appear before the World Bank board later today after an internal report found he broke rules by securing a generous pay deal for his girlfriend, fellow bank employee Shaha Riza. Mr Wolfowitz was expected to fight hard for his job, having described the findings as "unbalanced and flawed". The board will discuss and decide his fate probably by the end of the week. It can vote to sack him, recommend censure, or reach a quiet compromise with the White House, whereby Mr Wolfowitz would go but the European states who oppose him would drop their campaign to end the tradition of Washington appointing the bank's chief.


Asked whether the White House was sending mixed messages, he (Tony Snow) said: "We're not trying to send a wink, wink, nudge, nudge signal."

But it sounded very much like that