People
President Bush has tapped Laurence Francis Rooney III, a successful Oklahoma businessman and top Republican fundraiser, as his next ambassador to the Vatican. Rooney, an active Catholic, is the chief executive officer of Rooney Holdings, a multibillion-dollar building and construction company. He is most widely known for the major fundraising role he played during Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign. Rooney will replace Ambassador Jim Nicholson, who resigned to become Secretary of Veterans Affairs.