Others too had strong credentials to become new world bank chief.

(From Gulf News)

Byline: Kevin Rafferty, Special to Gulf News

Paul Wolfowitz, deputy US defence secretary, has been nominated by President George W. Bush to head the World Bank. It now appears to be a done deal but a recent study of the protagonists for the top job shows the others too had credentials that are as good as, if not better than, Wolfowitz. For instance there is Carly Fiorina, toppled chief of Hewlett Packard, John Taylor, Peter McPherson these names have also come from the swirling mists of the thought processes of the George W. Bush White House, but suggest that the US president obviously needed some help in choosing a successor to James Wolfensohn as the next president of the World Bank. Equally important, surely now it is time to throw away the intricate world financial master plan that was devised in the middle of the ashes of the war 60 years ago.

While Wolfowitz and Fiorina were the front-runners even earlier, it is hard to think of two names less inspired for one of the most sensitive, demanding and important jobs in the world. They are even worse than the string of other names that preceded them, such as US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick (since taken out of the running by being named deputy secretary of state), John Taylor, the US treasury's top international official, Peter McPherson, former head of USAID and Bush's man to help rebuild the Iraq economy after Saddam, or Professor Jeffrey Sachs. At least all of the previously suggested people know the way the world goes round and understand the delicate balance of relationships between …