"A guy doesn't pay to be with a prostitute--he pays them to go-away."--a wise adage, author unknown (probably Zoroaster).
NEW YORK CITY--Even The Economist (that magazine of Sadeian truth) is saying it's curtains for pimpster Paul Wolfowitz...who? You know, the guy who was the architect of the war in Iraq? That guy. He was one of the prime-instigators and facilitators of that ongoing-catastrophe. It finally appears that his protection is gone, and that he's going to--gasp--be held-accountable for hiring his girlfriend (lover, the woman who...you know) for a position (not missionary) at the World Bank. Ah yes, and she was given a staggering pay-raise since he couldn't put her directly-within the World Bank's facilities, but at a subsidiary insititution. Hey, you help start a war that enriches the once-flagging Halliburton, as well as oil corporations and war-profiteers everywhere, and you get some ass in the deal (yo'!). Also according to The Economist, it seems that his immediate-staff have been angry about this for a very long-time:
The affair also seems to have extinguished what little support Mr Wolfowitz had with his own staff. They have always resented the baggage—and a couple of the people—he carried with him to the bank from his controversial past. You do not need to be popular with your staff to be a good boss [Ed.-actually, you do.], but you surely need their confidence. Mr Wolfowitz it now seems will never gain that, even if he does get another chance. (Economist, 04.13.2007)
That's pretty bad, especially since it might cause the relationship to founder--no more ass. Ms. Shaha Riza must be an exceptional lover to command the kind of perks she got back in June of 2005 when George W. Bush appointed Wolfowitz to the post. What kind of sexual magick must she possess? Is it in the Kama Sutra? Did Kinsey ever study it? Is it legal in Georgia and Texas? Are sexual-rewards part of the Bush administration's policy for appointments? Go ask Jeff Gannon.It's interesting how this is playing-out, and it took far too-long. He's gone, it's just a matter of time. So, what were the mechanisms that finally forced the media to make this story a priority? Probably some whistle-blowers (the real kind) in his office, and high-level European-members who had knowledge of it, and who found it to be a corrupt series-of-actions:
He stands accused of helping engineer a massive pay hike for his Libyan-born girlfriend, former World Bank communications specialist Shaha Riza, when she was transferred to the US State Department in 2005. Wolfowitz has admitted to mistakes in the procedure under which the pay package was approved and has received a vote of confidence from President George W. Bush, for whom as a deputy defense secretary he helped plan the Iraq war. But he still faces an open revolt from outraged World Bank employees pressing for his departure. Bank policymakers are due to convene here Sunday, after which Wolfowitz is scheduled to address a press conference alongside IMF counterpart Rodrigo de Rato. (AFP, 04.14.2007)
Hey, we all know how well the war in Iraq went-off, so it's safe-to-say Wolfowitz has never had any confidence at the IMF/World Bank, and that the resentments began upon his appointment ala' John Bolton by President Bush's dubious recommendation. Wolfowitz is just another sundry example of Bush cronyism gone-awry. They thought they'd always have the GOP majority in both houses of Congress until January of 2009. The Bush administration and the RNC were wrong, and the rest will be history. Just not in American history textbooks, but the internet will continue to fill that particular gap.
It's not as if the kids have ever believed much of what they're taught about their history anyway.These things happen every day in the corporate world--but the World Bank and the IMF isn't that place, but a quasi-governmental organization that's supposed to function "multilaterally" (ahem: meaning nobody dominates the institution). World Bank employees have been posting their complaints about Wolfowitz on internal bulletin-boards, but now it appears that it's getting more-widespread. Worldbankpresident.org has been getting some interesting anonymous comments that likely originate from World Bank staff:
Posted By Anonymous Fri, Apr 13, 2007, 21:10
Mr. Wolfowitz. At this point, it's not about the technalities. It's not about which rule was broken, according to which memo. It's about a profound distrust in you, your advisers, your policies. As Nancy Birdsall puts it, we need a strong world bank now and you are a distraction. You leaving will certainly not solve all of the problems faced by the institution but judging from the commitment, passion and will to change things expressed in these comments over the past few days, I have no doubt that staff is ready to do things differently and better. Our clients do not trust you, our partners do not trust you, staff does not trust you. The only one who as expressed support is GW bush and we all know his shortcomings. So my plea is: dont be like that. Dont hang on to the last bit of power until you are kicked out, by the board or by the staff. Act with dignity. You must leave now. If you dont, you will be booed at townhall, people will mock your opeds, clients will turn to others, and not only will you not be effective, you will contribute to bringing this institution further down the lines of irrelevance and obscurity. Leave now.
This really sums-up the core dynamic behind the Bush administration: a wanton power-grab that has no regard for accountability, the public's confidence, popular-support, or any recognition for the common good of humanity. Neoconservativism never constituted an ideology, but simply the Conquistador's lust for treasure and power. The anonymous e-mail truly sums-up the remedy: dignity, something George W. Bush and his criminal co-conspirators have no concept of. Not within themselves, and consequently, within others.
None of this is surprising to those of us who saw it coming back in 1999, during the tail-end of Bush's disastrous term as governor of Texas. He was never supposed to be president, but the Cheney-Rove factions won, and they got their time in the White House (again). When the smoke has finally begun to clear, when their facilitators on-the-margins like Wolfowitz have been felled, it will be time to deal with all those in Congress (in both parties) who also enabled what is likely to be the most criminal administration in the political history of the United States. Like the Coolidge and Harding administrations, they will be a curse on the lips of Americans for several-decades. Like Herbert Hoover--who offered no solutions and barely any aid during the worst-years of the Great Depression--they will be called every expletive that comes-to-mind for at least fifty-years.
World Bank staff and global development organizations called for Wolfowitz to step down as anger increased even after a public apology on Thursday in which he said he erred in the handling of the 2005 promotion of Shaha Riza, a former senior communications officer in the bank's Middle East Department. Bank staff expressed their outrage on internal Internet bulletin boards, which included calls for Wolfowitz to resign and support for a staff protest on Saturday.The outpouring reflected resentment over Wolfowitz's close ties to the Bush administration and his role as an architect of the Iraq war while he was U.S. deputy defense secretary. (Reuters, 04.13.2007)
In frankness: these people must truly hate themselves. How could anyone want this as their legacy? The toppling of America as a world power will be one of Paul Wolfowitz's legacies--the only good one. Perhaps Ms. Riza can tell us his other attributes, but we can rest-assured that a tell-all biography is coming from Harper Collins. We can assume that Ms. Riza wasn't the only prize involved, and that money and a position at some financial institution or corporation will be waiting for Mr. Wolfowitz after his dismissal. What should really be happening is a massive-investigation into his role in selling the war in Iraq, but it now appears this is likely. Good things come to those who wait.
The Economist Yesterday: http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9023322&top_story=1
AFP Today: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/270368/1/.html
An Excellent source on the World Bank's Presidents and their skilled-lovers: http://www.worldbankpresident.org/
Reuters Yesterday: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070414/pl_nm/worldbank_wolfowitz_board_dc
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