Bush hawk gets World Bank job

President Bush named Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank yesterday, placing another administration hawk atop a key international body. "He is a compassionate, decent man who will do a fine job," Bush said of Wolfowitz, who will succeed World Bank President James Wolfensohn when he steps down in June. Wolfowitz, 61, will most likely be confirmed by World Bank members without serious dissent, well-placed sources said. But the appointment is still seen as a slap to European critics of the Iraq war, who blame Wolfowitz for ignoring warnings that U.S. forces would face well-armed insurgents long after Saddam Hussein was toppled. "The enthusiasm in Old Europe is not exactly overwhelming," said German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. Further angering detractors, Wolfowitz's appointment follows Bush's decision to name another controversial hawk, John Bolton, as UN ambassador. "These are some strange decisions," said a longtime Wolfowitz basher in the Bush administration.