Remora

All Terrorism, all the time

There's a profile of the dangerous Mr. Zoellick, Bush's free trade ambassador, in the NYT today, penned by ELIZABETH BECKER and EDMUND L. ANDREWS

Inevitably, Zoellick spouts the Bush line about what he does:

"The long-term war against terrorism has to include trade, openness and development," he said in a recent interview."

I can't wait until somebody tells us that the war against terrorism has to include privatizing social security. Or has it already happened?

Anyway, the profile is worth reading not only to find out what Zoellick is up to, but also because there's an unexpected bitchiness in the thing. This is our favorite part"

"A prolific writer and a man driven to make his mark on the world stage, Mr. Zoellick has been plagued throughout his career with assertions that he lacks the kind of bonhomie and people skills that would help him widen his influence inside the administration and build broad-based coalitions outside it.

"I am a big fan and friend of Bob's, but I have to say it is amazing he's gotten as far as he has, given the number of enemies he's made," said a former official who spoke on the condition of anonymity."

Also, in terms of in-fighting: Zoellick distances himself from the debacle of blocking generic anti-AIDS drugs to third world countries -- one of the many sterling skuzzy moments of our administration's recent history.

Oddly, the article doesn't mention Bob's Enron connection. However, he's mentioned in the Harvard Watch report, the one that fingered Harken/Harvard connection. Here's his bio through the lens of Enron.
Robert B. Zoellick
Harvard affiliation
: J.D., MPP, Harvard; former director and faculty member of Harvard's
Belfer Center
Enron affiliation
: U.S. Trade Representative; Enron Advisory Board; board member of Alliance
Capital, major Enron shareholder
Zoellick sits precariously at the nexus of Harvard, the Bush White House and Enron. While at Harvard, Zoellick directed a pro-corporate energy research center funded by Enron's largest shareholder.