Good In Bed

The problem with the World Bank is that there are not enough Frenchmen in positions of power. All of Paul Wolfowitz's current problems trace back to this most unfortunate state of affairs.

The poor man tried to do the right thing, when he got his new position as leader of the world's bankers. His significant other was already employed there, and he would have become her boss. Such a position was clearly untenable, and demanded immediate correction. So Mr. Wolfowitz corrected it, and now look at the trouble he's in.

Through connections, and one may assume that his connections are legion, the man who loves Shaha Ali Riza nabbed a spot for her in the State Department. The lady is originally from Tunisia, of Libyan and Saudi blood, so what better place for her than with State, and in light of the current political situation in the world, who could argue against it? Under advice from the Bank's ethics committee, he did as he was told and relocated her, with a promotion to boot. Can't very well demote her, when she did nothing wrong, and moving her sideways wouldn't reimburse her for her troubles. Wasn't he just following orders so?

Ms. Riza did not get where she is by batting her eyes and smiling sweetly, no indeed. It takes brains and guile and smarts to climb so high, and she worked very hard to achieve a prominent post and the salary that goes with it. Now, whether or not that is Mr. Wolfowitz's reason for lobbying on her behalf and getting her a hefty raise, we may never know. He's not talking.

Thanks to Lover Boy, Ms. Riza makes more than the Secretary of State, Condeleeza Rice, who is rated as smokin' by the stuffy diplomats who brush up against her power suits. Given that status, one must then surmise that Mr. Wolfowitz believes his darlin' is worth even more than Madame Secretary, hence the bigger paycheck. This is, of course, not the sort of thing that any man could utter in public, although if a bunch of Frenchmen were hovering around the halls of power at the International Monetary Fund, they'd be slapping himself on the back. Hard enough to keep a mistress, the French would realize, and if a man had the opportunity to find someone else to help foot the bill, what's a man to do?

Paul Wolfowitz went in as head of the World Bank and had to fend off a swarm of criticism and distrust. He's been hell bent on rooting out corruption, something that's in great need of doing, but this one slip-up could be enough to bring him down. He who would fight corruption must be above corruption and dirty deals himself, if he's to be taken seriously. And garnering a big salary for the bit on the side...outside of France, it's just not done.