Denial

As usual, The Economist notes some of the disturbing things about something Bush is doing, but ultimately chooses to liberally sprinkle fairy dust instead of admit the uncomfortable reality:

Mr Wolfowitz's nomination may be as important for what it says about the Bush administration as for the future of the Bank itself. Is the administration trying to show Europe, as some have claimed, that America doesn't care what its allies think? Perhaps. But there is a more heartening possibility: that Mr Bush is sending out his trusted deputies to the World Bank and the UN because he is interested in getting things done in the global arena.

A boost for the latter theory came on Thursday, when Mr Bush nominated a new trade representative to replace Robert Zoellick. His nominee, Rob Portman, comes with strong credentials. A trade lawyer before becoming a congressman, representing Ohio, he has served on the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade. He looks like the administration's best bet for pushing the Central America Free Trade Agreement through Congress. It will also be a lot easier to salvage the Doha round of world trade talks if America's top trade representative can finesse his country's legislators.

This does not, of course, erase concerns about just whose team Mr Wolfowitz is playing on. But it is a hopeful sign that the coach has his eyes on the right prize.

File under: Denial ain't just a river in England.

ntodd