A World Free of Leaks

Who amongst us has forgotten our old friend Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense during the design and execution of the Iraq fiasco, rubbisher of the idea that more troops would be required, and hair-slicker extraordinaire -- before being booted sideways to a cushy job as President of the World Bank? Well, it turns out that gig is not going so well either. Wolfie is answerable to the Bank's Board of Directors, and their interpretation of "oversight" is rather more stringent than he experienced with Republican Congresses.

Some mischievous person (of which more in a second) has leaked the minutes of a recent Board meeting that was called to discuss a budget and strategy paper that Wolfie had sent to them. And they trashed it. Fox News got hold of not only the confidential minutes memo, but the even more confidential rough draft version where the undiplomatic stuff was said. And in Bank-speak, it was, like, way rude ... "puzzled ... absence of criteria ... absence of adequately articulated framework ... confusing ... lost opportunity ... negative impact on staff morale ... not sustainable."

In bureaucratic terms, a smackdown. So who leaked it? Well, the story is carefully designed so as not to make the motive obvious, since there are elements unflattering to everyone. But the gossipy elements of the story seem to come from Wolfie's side --

According to one top insider in Wolfowitz's circle, that cast has at times included one longtime director whose arrogance and bullying have made him widely disliked by his colleagues, another director who seems to enjoy taking "reflexive" positions opposing the U.S. "as a matter of principle," and one director "widely regarded as a buffoon" and prone to long and mysterious absences. Another director has personally attacked Wolfowitz on subjects ranging from Iraq to his girlfriend (whom he met at the bank). Still another director is said to take orders from his country's development minister to "shovel loans out the door and minimize the conditions on them."

And then there's the outlet: Fox News, a source surely familiar to Wolfie's circle. In fact, Wolfie has ordered an investigation to find the real leaker, apparently not intimidated by the Scooter trial showing what strange turns these investigations can take. The odds on him needing a new job sooner than expected just got shorter.