The State Department may be recruiting a man known as the architect of the Iraq war to act as an adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Paul Wolfowitz has reportedly been asked to chair the International Security Advisory Board.
Paul Wolfowitz, a man that left two prestigious positions in the past three years, both under questionable circumstances, is apparently being actively pursued to advise the State Department.
Known as the architect of the Iraq war and the man who said troops would be
“greeted as liberators,” former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was a strong force in both creating and pushing forward plans to go to war with Iraq. He and Secretary Donald Rumsfeld seemed to tune out any voices that whispered -or even shouted- that Iraq would not be the cakewalk they hoped it would be.
While there were issues regarding Iraq that could have led various officials to pressure Wolfowitz to resign, Barney Frank called for his resignation due to sending the wrong message to Turkey, as related in
this speech.
The embattled Deputy Defense Secretary was often criticized as some of his recommendations regarding Iraq came back to haunt him. The latest “surge” indicates that his insistence on fewer troops may not have been the proper prescription for the occupation.
As others left the Bush Administration under a cloud of negativity related to the Iraq war, Wolfowitz didn’t want to go, according to the
New York Sun. Apparently, a prestigious job such as President of the World Bank made departing more agreeable.
This move was described as “mystifying” by Senator John Kerry and others were surprised by the development, questioning the appointment as well as Wolfowitz’ credentials for the position, per the
New York Sun.
Less than three years later, Wolfowitz came under fire again when questions arose concerning favorable treatment of his "girlfriend," an employee of the World Bank. He was forced to resign over this situation. However, it appears that favorable treatment began when Wolfowitz still worked for the Department of Defense. Earlier this year the Defense Department looked into a contract awarded to Shaha Riza by Wolfowitz while still Deputy Secretary, as reported by
SFGate.com.
Shortly thereafter, Representative Walter Jones offered a different idea in regard to a new job for Wolfowitz. He suggested sending Wolfowitz to Iraq to become a mayor, per the
ABC News Blotter. The Bush Administration seems to have other plans.
None of the questions surrounding Wolfowitz seem to have deterred the Bush Administration. He has now been reportedly offered the chairmanship of the
International Security Advisory Board, a panel of advisers to the State Department. An official announcement has not yet been made and Wolfowitz has not commented.
The security panel includes other familiar faces and former experts and the Board will be
“providing advice on some of the same issues that critics say the administration got spectacularly wrong” in the build up to Iraq,
according to Newsweek.
Déjà vu? Writing on the wall? Such sentiments may seem cliché, but there is the distinct impression that we have been here before. If the “architect” is back in business, should we expect a new front in the war sooner rather than later?
