As Juan Cole so aptly puts it, “Hiring Paul Wolfowitz to advise the State Department on arms control is like hiring Lindsay Lohan as a driving instructor.
Besides, when someone is consistently wrong and always vastly exaggerating the threat from abroad, it isn’t normal. Here’s a trip down memory lane:
‘With Ford’s approval, Bush also granted a team of hard-line Cold Warriors, including neoconservative academic Paul Wolfowitz, access to the CIA’s raw intelligence on the Soviet Union capabilities, enabling this so-called “Team B” to challenge the CIA’s nuanced assessment of Soviet strength. Though the intelligence pointed to serious – and worsening – Soviet deficiencies, “Team B” emerged with an alarmist vision of Soviet power and intentions. In late 1976, Bush largely adopted this dire assessment, which restricted the maneuvering room of Ford’s successor, Democrat Jimmy Carter.’
And we need him to vastly exaggerate the threat from Iran, why? Maybe because no one reputable would take it on?”
We might be tempted to add Wolfwowitz’s claim that Iraq would pay for its own reconstruction, and any number of other false claims from this moron. It seems clear that BushCo has lost its collective mind if they insist on hiring back criminals to lead the charge for “diplomatic arms control.”
Arms control role for Wolfowitz
By Jane O’Brien
BBC, Washington DC
Former World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz has been appointed head of an influential panel advising the US government on arms control.
Mr Wolfowitz was ousted from the Bank last year over a scandal involving payments to his girlfriend, who was also a bank employee at the time.
He has long been a controversial figure in US and international politics.
As the Pentagon’s number two after Donald Rumsfeld, he was one of the leading architects of the war in Iraq.
Sensitive issues
Mr Wolfowitz’s insider status at the White House made him many enemies at home and abroad.
After a stormy two-year tenure at the World Bank, he was forced to leave because he authorised a large compensation package for his girlfriend.
His departure was further clouded by claims that he had tarnished the bank’s reputation and strained relations with other countries – particularly in Europe.
His return to government comes at a time when many key figures of the Bush administration are leaving.
The State Department has confirmed his appointment as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board which provides the department with independent advice on arms control and disarmament.
Mr Wolfowitz will report on a number of current sensitive issues such as nuclear deals with India and North Korea, and Iran’s contentious nuclear programme.
He is currently a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute – a conservative think-tank in Washington DC.
