More Reasons for Bush to Nominate Okonjo-Iweala

Oh how I would dearly love to see George W Bush nominate Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next president of the World Bank! Her op-ed in the IHT today shows just how good of a choice she would be:

I know personally that Bank staffers will favor reform - in fact will demand it - if they are convinced it will enhance the work they do to assist the poor people of the world.
The World Bank has so much to offer the world. But it needs to adapt, it needs to be flexible in a changing world. The excruciating experience it is going through can be turned to good if it is seen as an opportunity for true change and reform.

Will Bush listen to what this highly-qualified candidate has to say? Maybe he'll listen to House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank, House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, House Ways and Means chairman Charles Rangel and House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Lantos, instead:

"The nominee should be deeply committed to American values, but need not have an American address. The global pool of talent is deep, and we should make it clear that the United States believes that the best nominee could come from anywhere," the congressmen said in a letter dated May 24 and released on Friday.

I'd just note that Okonjo-Iweala is not only deeply committed to American values, but also has an American address. The only thing she doesn't have is an American passport. There's even a precedent for a foreign national becoming president of the World Bank: Jim Wolfensohn. Although he, of course, was nominated by a Democrat, Bill Clinton.

(Via)