It’s All Over But The Face-Saving
Wolfowitz is all but out the door:
The World Bank’s executive board is negotiating the resignation of embattled President Paul D. Wolfowitz, senior bank officials said this afternoon.
The sources said that under the terms being discussed, Wolfowitz would step down, ending the ethics controversy that has consumed the bank for weeks, while the board would credit him for some achievements as president of the global poverty-fighting institution, including a sharpened focus on aiding Africa and stemming corruption.
A senior bank official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the talks, said the Bush administration was helping broker the terms and was eager to see the matter resolved swiftly.
Under the terms of Wolfowitz’s contract, signed two years ago, he would receive a full year’s salary — more than $375,000 — if he steps down or is fired by the board.
I’m on record as saying Wolfowitz was very stupid to have involved himself in such matters as pay and position of his girlfriend.
I’m also on record as saying I’m well aware that his real sin is to be both (a) an American in a post the Europeans covet, and (b) an architect of the Iraq War.
However, given the increasingly damaging revelations coming from the Justice Department, I have to wonder if the wrong Bush Administration star is being given the boot. In the case of Alberto Gonzales, it seems much more well-deserved.
My quick reaction to the Comey testimony: I’m encouraged that Bush did the right thing by addressing Justice’s reservations (presumably about the now-infamous eavesdropping program), but discouraged that he did it a day late, and only after this ridiculously heavy-handed effort to strong-arm Ashcroft (who wasn’t even the acting Attorney General while he was in the hospital – rather, Comey was). It should not have taken these shennanigans and the threatened resignations of so many DOJ bigwigs to reach an agreement. Do I find anything impeachable here, like my friends from the left? No, I do not…but it certainly smacks of poor judgement and that famous Bush stubbornness…by moving forward wtih recertification of the program without the DOJ’s certification of legality, Bush put a cloud of uncertainty over the program, and gives fuel to the accusations that he runs an essentially lawless administration when it suits him.
This won’t be the straw that broke the camel’s back for those seeking impeachment of the President, but it certainly leads impetus to the effort to can Gonzales. Whether he goes the way of Wolfowitz, I simply don’t have a good feel for at the time…but his job, which seemed secure a few short days ago, feels less secure now…
Your statement that Bush “gives fuel to the accusations that he runs an essentially lawless administration when it suits him” isn’t taken to its logical conclusion.
Bush’s own Justice Department tells him that the warrantless surveillance is illegal and he does it anyway. Violation of FISA is a felony, and Bush has acknowledged ignoring its requirements. This not only “gives fuel to” accusations that he willfully broke the law: it is hard to view it any other way.
What should the consequences be for breaking the law?
Really? Only poor judgement and stubborness to impliment a program that your own Justice Department says is illegal? Lying to the public about it? Having your AG lie to the Congress? And this story is only worth a “quick reaction?”
I think that Republicans have counted on the ignorance of the public for too long. This one is a dramatic, easily understood story and it isn’t going to reflect well on Republican apologists. The President’s refusal to address it yesterday was a pathetic performance. Keep it up; this is the exact kind of leadership that will make these next 18 months your last opportunity to lead any body of government for quite a while.