In some organizations, incompetence results in being fired or demoted or taking a pay cut. In the Bush administration, moderate incompetence is rewarded with the presidential medal of freedom. But what do the spectacularly incompetent get? Nomination to a cushy job heading an international institution.
Though in fairness, the word 'incompetence' might not do justice to Wolfowitz since it implies a benign lack of ability. Wolfowitz's problem had more to do with breathtaking arrogance and presumptuous that blinded the judgement of an otherwise intelligent man.
His spectacular lack of foresight has made the Iraq occupation even more problematic than it was always likely to be. Then again, maybe his spectacular lack of foresight will be a perfect fit with the World Bank.
A cynic might note the fact that a previous head of the World Bank was a man named Robert McNamara, former Pentagon chief and architect of the Vietnam War.
And aside from the political aspect, there's an even more obvious question. What qualifications does he have to run the world's most influential development organization?
Maureen Dowd suggests: Wolfie's biggest qualification to run the World Bank? His prediction that Iraqi reconstruction would pay for itself with Iraqi oil revenues.
President Bush talked about Wolfowitz's experience running a big bureaucracy, as though the military is analagous to a development organization. The president talked about how Wolfowitz was a really swell guy.
However, World Bank critic Allan Meltzer said it wasn't a big deal. "We don't need a development person, there are plenty of people at the bank who do that," he insisted.
Not a development person?
Check.
Lack of foresight?
Check.
Held in low esteem by the rest of the world?
Check.
I guess they've got their man!
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