Wolfowitz and Spartan law

In the old days, when people were less fussy, it was a common and accepted practice for potentates, major or minor, to reward their friends at public expense. The cost of a private pleasure was thus sometimes transformed into a small charge on the citizen, or taxpayer, or shareholder. No one minded partly because the levy was tiny when distributed, partly because it was seen as a sort of "spoils of victory" and partly because there wasn't anything anyone could do about it. That is why in the last 60 years, several Indian ministers and other public officials have indulged many a fancy in this manner. But the times change. With it change the standards of public morality and norms of public behaviour for public servants. It then becomes necessary if not to desist then at least to be discreet. The Spartan rule applies nowadays: you can do it but don't expect mercy if you get caught. The image and perception of those in public life are more important than ever before now.

Paul Wolfowitz appears to have either overlooked or ignored this sensible rule, which is surprising. After all, he has been credited with being the visionary who shaped America's view of its role in world affairs and therefore, by common consent""if not common acclaim""its foreign policy since 2000. But, as always, intellect has been no match for baser instinct. So the President of the World Bank stands exposed as a man who promoted his girl-friend into a $200,000 per year job after some dubious manouevres. What makes Mr Wolfowitz's case particularly piquant is the fact that he has made fighting corruption an important element of his role at the Bank. He has been going on and on about it, as becomes clear from the Bank's website. Thus, to give just one example, this is what he said on April 11, 2006, in Jakarta (but he has made other speeches on the subject as well). "The World Bank first acknowledged corruption as a major impediment to development only ten years ago. We have pioneered research to better understand the root causes of corruption. We are learning from our research fighting corruption is a long-term commitment, and results will not come overnight." Clearly, his understanding of corruption is limited to graft of a particular kind.

His critics""everyone except himself and his friend George W Bush ""want him out now. He says he will not go. Clearly, he does not realise the force of the social legitimacy behind the Spartan rule, which was designed to save good men from embarrassment of looking like fools. Mr Wolfowitz is thus compounding the arrogance of power with poor judgment. It will not get him anywhere except out of 1818 H-Street, NW Washington, DC. George W Bush is bound to have a quiet word with him sooner or later. For everyone concerned, it would be best if it were later today, not least because the Bank's Oversight Committee, consisting of finance ministers from 47 countries, has expressed "great concern". The Committee says it is worried about the future of the Bank. That may be an overstatement but what it has written on the wall is quite clear: go.