dougs digs

President Bush yesterday surprised the world with his announcement that he was nominating Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to be the next president of the World Bank. The World Bank is a 184-country institution that "has always operated by consensus." The president of the World Bank must be adept at forging international cooperation and building global compromise. Wolfowitz is a strange choice; at the Department of Defense, he was known for his go-it-alone attitude. His single-minded drive to invade Iraq and blatant disregard for building an international coalition before the war enraged and alienated much of Europe.