Frist Heads World Bank Shortlist

The White House is eying former Senate majority leader Bill Frist to take the World Bank presidency soon to be vacated by Paul Wolfowitz, the Wall Street Journal reports. Also getting a look are Treasury No. 2 Robert Kimmitt, onetime trade representative Robert Zoellick, and Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, star of the UN Oil for Food investigation.

Bush is determined to nominate an American to the post, despite increased chafing from some Europeans against what has been a US prerogative. Frist, who the Journal cites as a favorite of national-security guru Stephen Hadley,  fought in the Senate for funding to curb AIDS in Africa. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is said to be leading the search. (More World Bank stories.)