Oh, Come On!!!

So let's get this straight.

A chump, let's say a chump with a very impressive resume and beltway connections coming out of his ears, gets a really high profile job, say President of the World Bank. Just for example. It seems like a nice place.

His girlfriend works there and she's assured him that as long as you're not a woman of Arab decent, you get treated fairly.

He starts out pretty well. He follows the rules, discloses that his girlfriend is also an employee and offers to recuse himself from any personnel decisions regarding her. Ethics Committee agrees. Everybody's happy.

But then somewhere along the way, somebody stepped in it BIG TIME.

Girlfriend decides she wants an outside assignment and you know what, she should really be making a lot more money. Remember the thing about being an Arab woman? Well, she's been getting screwed on pay because of that for years, so she wants to be bumped a few pay grades and not to the base of the pay grades. We like the middle. And enough of this depending on other people to make sure your compensation keeps up with inflation, she wants her pay grade upped every few years regardless of anything else. Oversight, performance evaluations? Who needs those?

And remember Mr. Recuse Himself? Well, he approves the whole deal!!!

Word gets out, as it always does. And don't go thinking about investigative journalism or Deep Throat. Inside the Beltway, information is leaked via press release.

Next thing you know, people, like the Board of Directors, are calling for President Recuse Himself to resign from the World Bank. Not an unrealistic request. Generally, when you're caught padding the salary of someone you're sleeping with, it is customary to get fired....

Here's where it gets ridiculous. Paul Wolfowitz, with George W. and Dick watching his back, has basically dared the Board of Directors of the World Bank to fire him. He's trying to negotiate a way out where he is cleared of any wrong doing otherwise the United States won't play with the World Bank anymore.

What are we, 3 years old?


You screwed up, buddy. Deal with it!!

And PS, I don't really want to be part of a country that plays hardball in a situation like this. Could someone overnight some integrity to the White House? They've apparently run out...