Wolfowitz flips off critics

[DesertFox]

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz lashed back on Monday at critics who he said were conducting a smear campaign against him and vowed he would not resign.

In a statement to a bank panel looking into whether he broke ethical and other rules in a pay-and-promotion deal he directed for his girlfriend, Wolfowitz said treatment of the issue had become "circus like."

"The goal of this smear campaign, I believe, is to create a self-fulfilling prophecy that I am an ineffective leader and must step down for that reason alone, even if the ethics charges are unwarranted," Wolfowitz said in a statement obtained by Reuters.

"And, I will not resign in the face of a plainly bogus charge of conflict of interest," he said in the statement.


More (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-05-01T000553Z_01_N24441992_RTRUKOC_0_US-WORLDBANK-WOLFOWITZ.xml&src=rss&rpc=22)

[CONSERVATIVE HERO]

I met this guy. The morning Saddam Hussein was captured I was watching it on TV with him. He sent me this big coin from the gubbament for my help.

It was pretty cool.

[Wolfcounsel]

What big coin?

[CONSERVATIVE HERO]

What big coin?
I dunno. It was some big bronze looking coin (larger and thicker than a silver dollar) from the Department of The Army or something. It's in a safe back home. Didn't wanna carry it all over with me, lest I lose it.

[DesertFox]

In the Army, units often have their own coin that they give to people who stand out in some way. There might be one, say, for the 1-187th Infantry, or the 2-16th Whatchamacallit.

Within the unit everybody will buy a coin or two. When you're at a bar and produce your coin, anybody from the unit who doesn't have his coin on him has to buy the drinks.

High-ranking officers also often have their own coin that represents the unit, but that is specific to the Commanding Officer. They present a coin to some one who is doing good work when they visit. Example: General so-and-so visits your unit and coins the NCO and Soldier of the Quarter.

You would say you were "coined" by Wolfowitz.

[Air-Warrior]

I have a nice collection of military coins. Two that are most memorable are from the AOR Commander in Riyadh, KSA (an AF M.G.) and a golden one from the Emir of Kuwait. Your military medals, you can't take into a pub in your pocket and show them around as an ice-breaker. These grand coins were meant for that.