I think you pretty much nailed it. He wants someone who will throw the weight of the World Bank at anyone who dares to challenge the neo-liberal pseudo-democratic dystopia that the Neo-Cons have dreamed up.

He's certainly not happy with the G-20; but there's bugger all he can do to Senor Chavez. We set the clown up with unlimited funds thanks to Dubya and his party and their antipatriotic refusal to stop whoring for the oil industry.

I thought that it was the oil industry that was trying to knock Chavez out of power with some sort of coup, a little while back?

No, that was Dubya; not big oil. The Venezuelan national oil industry was in the hands of a vastly corrupt little oligarchy, with tight connections to Dubya's corrupt little oil oligarchy here in the US. Chavez threw them all out; and then proved that they were nothing but parasites by getting the oil out without their `management expertise', and for at least a billion dollars less a year in `management expenses'.

This obviously created a clique with a vested interest in ridding Venezeula of Chavez in Venezuela; and the chills that the thought of an oil industry without incompetent and parasitic drones sent down Dubya's spine was more than enough to get the US on board. Alas for both of these groups, they weren't very good; and launched their coup despite the fact that the head of the Venezuelan army had declined to become a traitor. Shortly thereafter, Chavez was back in power; and that was all she wrote.

Well; it looks like Europe will rubberstamp Wolfowitz's nomination. The most outspoken criticism we've heard was Luxembourg's finance minister saying there was 'some concern'. The FT reckons they intend to use the fact most people hate the man to press for a European deputy tomorow instead.

*sigh*

Of course, now that the staff of the World Bank is publically complaining that Wolfowitz is unfit because he's screwing a woman that would become his subordinate (and it isn't his wife), it might be a bit harder to confirm him...