Thursday, March 17, 2005
Clare Short: Bush is Shooting the World the Double Bird
ITV reports Clare Short, who is best known for resigning from the Blair adminstration in protest of Britain's participation in the invasion of Iraq, has some choice words regarding the Wolfowitz appointment:
Ms Short said President George W Bush's decision to put forward his hawkish Deputy Defence Secretary - to take over from James Wolfensohn who steps down on June 1 - was like showing "two fingers to the world".
Mr Bush has described Mr Wolfowitz, 61, as a "compassionate, decent man" but Ms Short told Channel 4 News: "This is really shocking. It's as though they (the Americans) are trying to wreck our international systems.
"They have nominated a man with no record on development who drove the Iraq war and in the Pentagon was responsible for Iraq after the war - and that is a complete and absolute disaster, the worst post-conflict situation we have had in the world for a very long time."
Ms Short continued: "Europe should stand together and say no, sorry, no record on development, not an acceptable candidate.
"They are playing games with us putting a hard-nosed hawk into the World Bank just when we are all saying we are all going to focus on poverty and development. It's like two fingers to the world.
"I think this is a real test of Europe. If Europe accepts this then forget your multi-polar world, forget Europe balancing America, the American empire can do what it likes."
