Corruption, bribery and nepotism

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by mactbone

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070413/ts_afp/worldbankwolfowitzboard_070413071612

I'm piling on you because you immediately defended him when Cort Haus and I took two minutes to find his apology and other statements that make your first post a pack of lies.

Considering I put "IIUC" I dont see how my post is "a pack of lies" That WAS my understanding. I posted it cause thats what Id seen on a blog, and I didnt know the WaPo had an article with new info. There was nothing in Davouts post to indicatet there was new info, no link, etc.

But I guess you can rush to judgement on me as well.

[lord of the mark]

"Wolfowitz said that "in hindsight, I wish I had trusted my original instincts and kept myself out of the negotiations."

The board's statement agreed with Wolfowitz that he had sought the advice of the ethics committee after taking office on how to handle the Riza matter.

But it said the committee gave only "informal" guidance that she should be reassigned and compensated for the potential disruption to her career through a promotion.

The details, including abnormally high pay hikes and more than one promotion, came on Wolfowitz's personal orders, the investigation found."

Hardly sounds like rampant corruption to me. Would that every third world leader who gets a World Bank loan conducts himself as well as Wolfowitz did on this.

[mactbone]

Can you read that?

Explain how this is good:
"The details, including abnormally high pay hikes and more than one promotion, came on Wolfowitz's personal orders, the investigation found."

Also, explain how other countries' corruption is relevant (except for the purposes of finding irony).

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by mactbone
Can you read that?

Explain how this is good:
"The details, including abnormally high pay hikes and [b]more than one promotion[b/], came on Wolfowitz's personal orders, the investigation found."

Also, explain how other countries' corruption is relevant (except for the purposes of finding irony).

1. He went to the ethics board for advice. As was proper. They gave him advice to compensate her. Their judgement. He made the mistake in judgement of leaning too far and giving her too much. A mistake in judgement I agree. An ethics violation, maybe. Rampant corruption, NO

2. Relevance. The entire threat has been about how hes hypocritical. See the OP. If what he did was not at all comparable to what hes trying to stamp out, then theres no hypocrisy, and not much irony. Its as if someone in charge of fighting the heroin trade, turns out to have smoked pot.

[mactbone]

Actually, I'm reading your statement closer and your point is: "Wolfowitz may have done it once, but hey, these other guys are way worse."

First, why does it matter what other people do and second, I thought that every time you do something wrong you got punished for it. Apparently, Wolfowitz has to be as bad as a third world dictator for this to matter. If that's the case, then does it mean that one murder is fine because, "thank god you're not a serial killer!"

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by LordShiva
Basically, he gave a promotion and raise to his girlfriend.

You forgot the bit about how this demonstrates that all neocons are corrupt.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


You forgot the bit about how this demonstrates that all neocons are corrupt.

Just like Wolfie, they all have muslim girlfriends, which is why they are conducting a genocidal war against muslims, or something like that.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Arrian


Women in the workplace



-Arrian

Women in the workplace is a good thing.

But they should keep their feet on the ground, not in the air.

[-Jrabbit]

It's not corruption; more like an insurance policy for continued future BJs.
Hard to blame a guy for that...

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
3. Are any of the folks piling on here, really concerned with the World Bank, or consider it a force for positive change in the world? Or are they just looking to get another neocon?

There's nothing wrong with trying to reduce corruption in third world countries, but it seems clear that Wolfie isn't best-qualified to do the job, seeing as he can't spot corruption when it's seemingly happening at his own fingertips.

His contrite noises are nice, but don't alter the fact that he abused his power to intervene on behalf of this woman that he's poking, to the detriment of other employees, and to the detriment of honest principles.

The fact that it is Wolfie certainly makes the story more interesting, as he portrays his interventionist projects as a grand virtue, seemingly oblivious to the negatives, but I think it would be newsworthy enough for any such senior appointee.

I don't think that playing it innocent makes it OK. Like many powerful men who think they are doing Gods own work (like Tony Blair), abuse of power comes naturally and with an untroubled conscience. That's what makes it so annoying.

[lord of the mark]

what some folks seem to be forgetting is that he was dating her BEFORE he went to the World Bank. When he got there, she was detailed to a position at the US dept of State, PRECISELY to avoid a conflict of interest. IE she was doing something harmful to her career, in order to keep things above suspicion.

He probably felt guilty that her career was being hurt because of his move to the World Bank. So when the Ethics comm said go ahead and compensate her for the move, he naturally gave her a larger than normal raise.

I dont see anywhere in the story that Wolfie was untroubled, or that abuse of power came naturally. He happened to end up in a difficult position.

But I do understand that some folks who find the policies he and folks like Tony Blair have been pursuing to be overwheeningly moralistic, are ready to jump on this.

[mactbone]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/washington/08wolfowitz.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

The decision was sent to Mr. Wolfowitz on Sunday night after a month of turmoil over the situation. The panel’s findings were not made public, but people familiar with the report said that it reviewed documents and testimony before concluding that Mr. Wolfowitz had breached his obligations in arranging for Ms. Riza’s reassignment from the bank to the State Department.

The committee’s finding of guilt against Mr. Wolfowitz was tempered by a finding that the bank shared at least some blame for the failure of Mr. Wolfowitz to comply with its rules. According to people familiar with the report, it said the advice from ethics officials at the bank to Mr. Wolfowitz was less than clear and evidently subject to misinterpretation. Nevertheless, the report was clear in its conclusion that Mr. Wolfowitz breached his obligations.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
There's nothing wrong with trying to reduce corruption in third world countries

That's awful neutral of you. "Nothing wrong" with it?

[BeBMan]

The fun goes on:

Report: Deal offered for Wolfowitz exit
European countries will drop demand that they pick next World Bank president if Wolfowitz agrees to leave soon, newspaper says.
May 8 2007: 9:48 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Leading governments of Europe are willing to let the United States again choose the next World Bank president if embattled current President Paul Wolfowitz agrees to step down soon, according to a published report.

The New York Times reported the European governments had wanted to end the tradition of the United States picking the World Bank leader, but they signaled Monday they were willing to drop that demand if it meant that a public split on the international bank's board could be avoided.
wolfowitz_paul.03.jpg
European countries have proposed a deal that could lead to Paul Wolfowitz leaving his post as president of the World Bank.
Video More video
Iraq war architect clings to his World Bank job amid a corruption probe. CNN's Zain Verjee reports. (April 20)
Play video

It was reported Monday that a special World Bank committee found that Wolfowitz was guilty of breaking rules barring conflicts of interest in arranging for a pay raise and promotion for Shaha Ali Riza, his girlfriend and a bank employee, in 2005.

"What I'm hearing from colleagues is, 'Let's not push the Americans too hard,' " a senior European official involved in policy on the bank told the paper. "We want to avoid a split between the United States and its European allies. We're willing to say: 'OK, you find a capable American to run this institution and we can live with that.' "

The brewing controversy at the World Bank also led to Kevin Kellems, Wolfowitz's top communications advisor, to resign from the bank Monday, effective next week.

The Times quoted him as saying that "the current environment surrounding the leadership" at the bank made it "very difficult to be effective in helping to advance the mission of the institution."

The paper reported that even before Wolfowitz took office in 2005, leading European countries had begun pushing to discard the custom that had existed since the 1940's that allowed the United States to select the bank president, a prerogative it received because it contributes the largest share of the bank's financing.

But the United States has only 16.4 percent of the voting share on the World Bank board that chooses the president, while European countries have twice that vote.

The Bush administration, where Wolfowitz worked in the Defense Department before moving to the World Bank, has repeatedly backed him as he fought to keep his job. But President Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson have also called for the completion of the bank's internal review process, the paper reports.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/08/news/newsmakers/wolfowitz/index.htm?cnn=yes

[Dinner]

Re: Corruption, bribery and nepotism

Originally posted by DAVOUT

Under these obligations there is no difference between nepotism and corruption. And this can even be aggravated in bribery if the beneficiary of the salary increase was desiring to break the “sentimental links”.

Nevertheless, I do not exclude that in an updated neo-cons agenda appears the item : Nepotism does not qualify actions made by a US citizen for the benefice of another US citizen.

She is actually from Libya but yes there is a huge problem with corruption among Bush's thugs.