The knives come out for Wolfowitz

Last week, the Washington Post‘s Al Kamen questioned my critical stance on the Wolfowitz pay scandal:

But these criticisms tend to assign some blame to Wolfowitz, even though his spokesman [Kevin Kellems] has assured us that matters involving Riza’s “arrangements” were made “at the direction of the bank’s board of directors.” 

But it turns out there’s a hole in Kellems’s story. The FT is reporting that Wolfowitz personally directed the terms for his girlfriend’s large pay increase and promotion, according to a memo to the head of the Bank’s human resources.

So, to be clear: Wolfowitz, in his position as World Bank president, was responsible for awarding his girlfriend a position and pay grade that was completely out of line with normal Bank rules. Is that how the champion of good government operates? The Bank board is expected to meet in an emergency session today to discuss the issue, and Wolfowitz, always a believer in the doctrine of preemption, has already issued an apology. So, will Wolfowitz get a slap on the wrist, or will all that ill will generated by his management style mean his future is less certain? We’ll be watching …