President Recommends Wolfowitz As World Bank Chief
POSTED: 9:24 am EST March 16, 2005
UPDATED: 12:00 pm EST March 16, 2005
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President George W. Bush recommended that Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz take over as head of the World Bank.
At a White House news conference Wednesday, Bush called his nominee "a man of good experience." The president said Wolfowitz is "a skilled diplomat" who will "do a fine job at the World Bank."
A senior official said earlier that the administration has begun notifying other countries that Wolfowitz is the U.S. candidate to replace James Wolfensohn, who is stepping down as head of the 184-nation development bank in June at the end of his second five-year term."I appreciate the world leaders taking my phone calls as I explain why Paul Wolfowitz would be a strong leader of the World Bank," Bush said.Bush said Wolfowitz is a "compassionate, decent man" with the management skills needed to run the development bank. The president said Wolfensohn has also spoken positively of Wolfowitz as the next World Bank chief. Wolfowitz has been Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's top deputy and a lightning rod for criticism over the U.S. invasion of Iraq and other defense policies.The United States is the World Bank's largest member nation. The bank traditionally has had an American president.On the subject of Iraq, the president called Wednesday's first meeting of the new Iraqi parliament a "bright moment." He said it's a step in the process of writing a constitution. Read The Full Story. Bush did not set a date for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq in response to a question about Italy's announcement that it hopes to begin withdrawing its troops in September. Bush said U.S. troops will come home when Iraq is capable of defending itself.At Wednesday's news conference, Bush also said he's making progress in convincing the American people of the need to reform Social Security. He said something must be done to make sure the system continues to work for younger Americans.
The president said he will continue to make his case for reform to the American people.The president has said all aspects of his plan are on the table, as long as payroll taxes are not increased.He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in an interview published Wednesday that "all ideas are on the table," and that he'll work with members of Congress to help write a bill that can pass the Senate and House.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are planning to wheel out a 1935 Ford on Wednesday to illustrate their point that Social Security needs an overhaul some 70 years after it was introduced. At the same time, Democrats plan to announce Wednesday a series of events across the country during the upcoming congressional recess to press their opposition. They'll argue that Bush's proposal to create private investment accounts within Social Security would undermine the program's long-term financial stability.Later Wednesday, Bush will welcome a key Lebanese leader to the White House as the president continues to press Syria to get its forces out of Lebanon. Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir is spiritual chief of Lebanon's Maronite Catholic Church. But he has also become a leading opponent of the presence of Syrian troops. Spokesman Scott McClellan said the president sees the cardinal as a champion of the Lebanese people's desire "to chart their own course, free from outside intimidation and interference." Bush has demanded Syrian troops and intelligence agents leave Lebanon. And although some have headed for the border in recent days, Bush said all of them need to get out before parliamentary elections planned for May.
Biography:
Paul Wolfowitz
A senior official said earlier that the administration has begun notifying other countries that Wolfowitz is the U.S. candidate to replace James Wolfensohn, who is stepping down as head of the 184-nation development bank in June at the end of his second five-year term."I appreciate the world leaders taking my phone calls as I explain why Paul Wolfowitz would be a strong leader of the World Bank," Bush said.Bush said Wolfowitz is a "compassionate, decent man" with the management skills needed to run the development bank. The president said Wolfensohn has also spoken positively of Wolfowitz as the next World Bank chief. Wolfowitz has been Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's top deputy and a lightning rod for criticism over the U.S. invasion of Iraq and other defense policies.The United States is the World Bank's largest member nation. The bank traditionally has had an American president.On the subject of Iraq, the president called Wednesday's first meeting of the new Iraqi parliament a "bright moment." He said it's a step in the process of writing a constitution. Read The Full Story. Bush did not set a date for withdrawing U.S. troops in Iraq in response to a question about Italy's announcement that it hopes to begin withdrawing its troops in September. Bush said U.S. troops will come home when Iraq is capable of defending itself.At Wednesday's news conference, Bush also said he's making progress in convincing the American people of the need to reform Social Security. He said something must be done to make sure the system continues to work for younger Americans.
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