News-Record.com

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U.S. Rep. Howard Coble used a Tuesday speech on the House floor to criticize World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz , a veteran of the Bush administration who has been embroiled in scandal in recent weeks.

Wolfowitz is accused of improperly handling a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend, who is also a World Bank employee.

"The appropriate World Bank panel may consider attaching a shorter, tighter leash to Mr. Wolfowitz, because the present leash, if there is a leash at all, appears to be inadequate,” said Coble, a Greensboro Republican.

Wolfowitz has told The Associated Press that he will not resign “in the face of a plainly bogus charge of conflict of interest.”

Coble — a critic of the administration’s Iraq war effort and Wolfowitz’s role in planning the invasion as deputy secretary of defense — stopped short of calling for Wolfowitz to step down.

“His questionable and misguided leadership regarding the Iraqi war, plus the allegations of mismanagement at the World Bank during his watch, not withstanding, Paul Wolfowitz has made significant contributions during his years of public service and probably deserves another chance with the aforementioned leash firmly attached,” Coble said.

When asked what acts of public service outweighed Wolfowitz’s recent missteps, Coble said that his handling of world hunger and fighting corruption in emerging economies were laudable.

At least one member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation was more critical of Wolfowitz.

“What Wolfowitz did to make sure his girlfriend was given significant pay increases and frequent promotions does not really meet the smell test,” said Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat from Raleigh.

Miller said that it would be better if Wolfowitz were to resign rather than battle the bank’s board.

This is the not the first time Coble has criticized a high-ranking member of the Republican inner circle during a time of crisis.

In the 1980s, Coble called for then-Attorney General Ed Meese to resign from the Reagan administration.

More recently, Coble was one of the few Republicans to be an outspoken critic of the Iraq war.

However, Coble recently voted against the Iraq funding bill that would have set a timetable for withdrawal of troops.

“That should be done by commanders on the ground, not Congress,” Coble said in an interview after his speech.

When asked why he spoke about Wolfowitz, Coble said that congressmen should speak out when they see problems, regardless of political affiliation.

“I think both parties up here are too reticent to speak out when the wrongdoer is a member of their own party,” Coble said.
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