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Wolfowitz's course

Dogged by the controversies right from his controversial nomination for the position, Wolfowitz is likely to find this particular storm difficult to weather. That so especially considering his admission and apology, which now make the "bogus" and "smear campaign" justifications look pretty bogus in themselves.

The near unanimous opinion within and outside the World Bank, that prudence demands he step down, also highlights the undesirable nature of Wolfowitz's chosen course. While the Bank and the European parliament are expressing genuine concern for the already damaged credibility of the global lender, its president's only saving grace is that his few friends happen to occupy the world's biggest centre of power, the White House.

But surely he understands better than others that President Bush's "(Paul) ought to stay" support owes more to neocon face-saving than personal backing. Stemming chiefly from the debacle in Iraq —of which, too, Wolfowitz was one of the original protagonists —Bush's team's credibility has all but been laid in its grave. Therefore, it's little surprise that the present moment finds him defending his own handpicked nominee for the important post.

The international media is also abuzz about some sort of a deal which would allow the Bank president's term to continue. It is important to note that whenever deals are arranged to bypass what ought to be a straight-forward course, the subsequent house-of-cards has always been difficult to hold for long.