White House Support for Wolfowitz Crumbles

The White House is looking for an exit srategy for besieged World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. After months of unwavering support that failed to soften the bank's European partners, the Bush administration has indicated a willingness to replace him if it can be done without firing, the Washington Post reports.

The turnaround comes just a day after a bank investigation concluded that Wolfowitz damaged the bank's integrity in ordering pay raises for his girlfriend. A phone campaign by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to foreign finance ministers also failed to produce converts.  A White House official tells the Post: "We'll engage in a discussion about the future leadership of the bank." (More Paul Wolfowitz stories.)