Wolfowitz architect of his own collapse

Los Angeles Times, via Nashua Telegraph ^ | 20 May 2007 | Lawrence Wilkerson

[Moonman62]

When I was assigned to the U.S. Pacific Command in the mid-1980s, we military officers would often discuss the ambassadors in our theater of operations

I imagine military officers rarely discuss such things.

[Democratshavenobrains]

He should have gotten the people at the bank to get EVERYTHING IN WRITING that giving his girlfriend a raise was not his idea or suggestion.

[Elsiejay]

Wolfowitz did not hire Shaha Riza (she was a valued employee at the World Bank prior to his becoming Prez), nor did he direct her promotion. Before signing his own employment contract he voluntarily and in writing recused himself from any matters pertaining to her position in the Bank, a recusal that was acknowledged also in writing.
The bank’s board, through a convoluted process, determined that she be given a promotion and directed Wolfowitz to carry out the administrative procedures. Unfortunately, this required that his signature be the authorizing one, enabling his enemies to engineer his dismissal. The anti-Jew, anti-corruption fighter Europeans could not tolerate Wolfowitz any longer than it would take them to devise a scheme for eliminating him.

[A.Hun]

Thanks for the clarification....he shouldn’t have resigned. However, he would have spared himself this entire thing if his g/f had sought employment elsewhere....just sayin’

[slowhandluke]

You know, I have a simple view that covers both the public and private sectors:

Here's my view - be quiet until you've read enough to know what you are talking about.

Paul Wolfowitz did not hire his girlfriend. He worked with the ethics committee to move her out of his chain of command, and actually moved her to a job outside the World Bank. Her raise was in part overdue and in part an apology due to being moved into a dead-end job.

The real lesson here is to not trust international desk-jockeys when it's going to be your job to clean out the corrupt desk-jockeys, or trust a Bush to stand behind you.

[JennysCool]

He worked with the ethics committee to move her out of his chain of command, and actually moved her to a job outside the World Bank. Her raise was in part overdue and in part an apology due to being moved into a dead-end job.

Thank you for the summation. I'll stand by what I said, though. Whether in business or government, having one's love interest in the mix is seldom a good idea. Not only can it be uncomfortable, it always seems to give ammo to your competitors and enemies.

[Kitten Festival]

No, she wasn’t overdue for a raise, she’d been passed over two times already. That’s why she made her bitter statement to the board about everyone persecuting her and no one promoting, her, she was passed over a lot and was certain of her virtue. Being passed over, she lured her boyfriend into the presidency and tried to amass power that illegitimate way, and the ethics committee saw that going on and demanded that she be moved. That really upset her masterplan for world bank domination and she DICTATED to her boyfriend not just a 3.5% raise like the others were living with, but a 35% raise, plus guaranteed no-merit promotions, up to two as ‘compensation’ and Paul went along like a naive lunk, not thinking with his big head. The ethics committee recommended an either/or option but paul gave her both and then tried to hide it, had his spokesman lie about it to the press and then screamed that he was the victim when the truth came out. The guy just wasn’t thinking.

[donmeaker]

Wolfie wanted to simply recuse himself from matters affecting her. The World Bank Ethics Committee said that was not adequate. He asked others to determine appropriate compensation for her to leave/transfer, and because he could not recuse himself (per the ethics board) signed off on it.

Then the ethics board changed their mind.

Of course what he could have done was marry her. The World Bank has special rules for that. Guess he didn’t want to, or she didn’t want to.