As the World Bank Turns
by Molly McCallMay 3, 2007
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As far as Search goes, it's been a long time coming for Paul Wolfowitz. In 2005, President Bush nominated the Iraq war architect to lead the World Bank and sparked a surge of buzz on the policy wonk. Since then, "Wolfie" has slogged through nearly a year and a half with zero interest from most searchers. Until now.
Now, we've got buzz on the embattled bank chief coursing through the Search box, buzz on the bank logging surprising spikes, and buzz on the Wolf man's lady friend jetting into our top movers.
Searchers can't seem to get enough of Shaha Riza, the World Bank official who cuddles with Wolfowitz and allegedly got a lucrative promotion because of it. In mid-April, when news first started heating up about an ethics violation at the bank, buzz on her name jumped more than 1,550%. At the end of the month, she saw another 1,000% leap. Demand for her photos and pictures also surged.
With calls for Wolfowitz's resignation gaining volume, a panel of bank officials is grappling with whether or not to take disciplinary action and the man himself says he won't step down until his name is cleared. No matter which way events go, Paul Wolfowitz—and Shaha Riza—are guaranteed another turn under the buzz spotlight.
