(03-12-2005) Bono Says Powell Could Make 'Amazing' World Bank Head - Reuters*

[HelloAngel]

Bono Says Powell Could Make 'Amazing' World Bank Head


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Irish rock singer Bono whose name had been bandied about for the job of president of the World Bank, said on Friday former Secretary of State Colin Powell could do a good job at the helm.

"There's a few people that would be extraordinary. I think Colin Powell would do an incredible job, but there's some great people on the list," said U2's Bono.

Bono's name first surfaced for the job in a Las Angeles Times editorial in February. His lobby group, DATA -- or Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa -- said this week that the singer would not be nominated for the position.

"It's a very important job. What we forget is, it's an area where decisions taken in Washington affect many, many more lives than people are conscious of," Bono said.

James Wolfensohn's term as head of the bank ends in May.

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsA...N11466575_RTRIDST_0_PEOPLE-PEOPLE-BONO-DC.XML

 

[ShellBeThere]

Ooh, that would be cool, if Colin Powell got the job, because not only would he be great I'd imagine but he'd be a very conspicuous figure with a ready access to administration and to press....
Somehow I doubt that the Bush Administration would want that pressure, but who knows...maybe Bono can help convince them!

 

[ShellBeThere]

Well, Bono's been careful not to criticize publicly, but I wonder what he'd say if asked about Bush's picking Wolfowitz as World Bank president.

He was in the ballpark I guess in mentioning Colin Powell, but it seems to me unfortunate that one of the other guys close to Bush looks like he's getting the post instead. I wonder what his neo-conservative outlook will mean for the world bank's policies?
Maybe he can drum up a 'coalition of the debt-forgiven', where all a country needs to do is let us in to ferret out the terror-cells? Something like what we were hoping to accomplish in Pakistan?
It would be sort of the opposite of the idea Bono has been offering in his letters-to-the-editors of late...instead of improving 'brand America''s image by forgiving debt and helping to improve economies in the "third world", we'd be going in and requiring acquiesence to things american and *then* maybe we'll forgive some debt...
it seems a really unfortunate choice to make the hawkish deputy to rumsfeld now try to coordinate with those "old" europeans on global economic issues....

 

[Teta040]

I knew this was coming. The term as not supposed to ends in May, I think he actually had a year and ha;f to go. Word had it that Bush was upset with Wolfenson's activism on just the issues that Bono advocated. (Bono is on a first-name basis with the current WB head and met with him and Jeff Scahs back in 2000, as part of Jubliee. Prior to that, he hadn't talked openly about the DATA type agenda much, and I think it is no accident that he started acting on it after the meeting. Bono has been in constant contact with his WB buddy. Bush was upset by this and clashed extensively in private with Wolfenson. Reports are that Bush is pressuring him out of the job prematurely, and he wants one of his own stooges in there to keep a tighter control on funds and polices. What you are reporting sounds right on the line.

This would have eventually happened about 10 or 20 yrs down the line, as cheap oil and natural respcurces started to noticably dwindle. Predictable that USA would try to hold on to the riches of empire--and power. We may try to spend the next decade forcing other countries to bend to our will, and may even force them to for a while. It may work over the next decade or so...it is always the pattern with empires trying to hold on to the last gaspings of world supremacy. But we cannot hold on to it forever. Our profligate spending, our straining of the globe's rescources and capital, out holding the world in virtual economic thralldom, at least as we see it now, is unsustainable.

For those interested, in this month's edition of "Foreign Affiars" (a neoconservative mag that first pioneered in its pages, a decade ago, the concept of "the clash of civilizations", there is an excellent aticle about just this subject--how the world saituation today paralles exactly what ti was a hundred yrs ago, and how nobody saw the Depression or WWI coming. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is worth reading.

My only hope is that Bono's heart doesn't break before Christmas. The doors open to him will be closed swiftly--the only time they will opn is if Bush and his cronies want a photo op, where they will placate him and shower him with more flattery, promises--and lies. This willmake them look good, and they'll be able to continiue to not only do nothing, but even do harm, all they want. I hope he is not niave anymore. Wolfowitz will not give him the time of day, and if Bono thinks he can pull as Jesse Helms on htis guy, it won't work. Jesse didn't have his own agenda...