Tony Blair to Succeed Wolfowitz?

By Scott Horton

While Paul Wolfowitz continues to struggle to hold on to his position at the World Bank, others at the top of that institution as well as in Washington consider his imminent departure a foregone conclusion. Which raises the question of his succession. By tradition, the post has always gone to an American, while the sister position at the International Monetary Fund has gone to a non-American. But there is nothing in the rules of the Bank that require this, and there is growing restlessness at the prospects of a Bush Administration appointee even among the closest European and East Asian allies. Which raises an obvious prospect: British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be out of a job in only a matter of months. His name is being broadly floated in Washington and other capitals right now and it's clear that support has gathered for him in Bush Administration circles. He surely is but one of several potential candidates, but also the highest profile contender at this point.