FT.com / World / International economy - Shareholders' dismay at lack of consultation: "The lack of consultation before the announcement meant that European governments - who collectively hold about 30 per cent of the votes on the bank's executive board to the US's 17 per cent - were slow to react. 'There are going to be a lot of very unhappy people, but they may be as upset about the process as about the person,' said one European official. 'They were supposed to consult us and there was no consultation.' "
So much for Bush's program of repairing bridges allies.
The Wolfowitz appointment to the World Bank follows two other announced appointments: Karen Hughes to the State Department and John Bolton to represent the U.S. at the UN. Hughes is charged with fixing public diplomacy and especially improving America's dismal image in the Muslim world. The problem is that the U.S. does not need a plastic surgeon but an internist to identity key aspects of U.S. behavior that inflame enmity and disdain. This includes the hypocrisy-ridden rendition of suspected prisoners to torture-prone interrogators outside of the United States, and America's selective promotion of democracy.
Certainly the appointment of John Bolton is the most egregious example of the Bush administration's in-your-face approach to reconciliation. Bolton at the UN signals two specific priorities: getting rid of the capable Muhammad Baradei as head of the IAEA and continuing hostility to deal-making with Iran. This comes in a package of extreme skepticism about the merits and bona fides of the United Nations as an institution. The last, in particular, plays very well with the president's al-Qaeda (his base). On the plus, Bolton is now "out the building", which is to say not longer a daily antagonists in Washington policy debates, but that may only be a momentary benefit depending on who is picked to replace him at State.
Rumor has it that Condie Rice refused to have Bolton as her deputy so the UN post is a consolation prize.
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