Big Bad Wolfowitz

A somewhat deserved stereotype is that French businessmen and politicians all have mistresses. One of my clients even told me that Sarkozy tried to pick up his wife at a recent function; my client didn't seem too thrilled about it, but he had the sense of humor to quip that at least Sarko has good taste. That client and other jealous spouses aside, nobody here in France pays too much attention to accusations that somebody is getting a little something-something on the side. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's awarded behavior, but it's not the sort of thing that gets voters in a tizzy, either (Sarko has had at least one publicly acknowledged affair, and Sego has four children outside of marriage).

One thing that does seem to get under French skin, however, is nepotism where your mistress is involved. I didn't realize that this boundary existed until recently, because a lot of my recent conversations with French colleagues and clients have involved some sort of discussion about Paul Wolfowitz and the World Bank. As you probably know by now, an internal panel concluded that Wolfie violated staff rules in arranging a promotion and $194,000 tax-free salary for his girlfriend. The Europeans are calling for his head, and his job as president of the bank is in serious question.

Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I mean, yes nepotism is bad, and yes Wolfowitz might have violated protocol in pulling some strings for his girlfriend. But does that mean that he's not qualified to run the World Bank? I mean, this is the man who engineered the war in Iraq, and we can all see how well that's going. He's also following exactly in the footstops of Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War who later ran the World Bank from 1968 until 1981. What better credentials do you need to run an altruistic organization aimed at improving lives in third world countries than having engineered the slaughter of thousands of innocent and impoverished civilians? In that respect, I think his track record speaks for itself. Also, in case you're blind, he's a damn good-looking man; guys with looks that sharp don't need to resort to underhanded maneuverings and financial incentives to keep their girlfriends happy. Rowr!