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Wolfowitz's Words: Worth Taking Seriously

Share / Recommend - Comment - Print - Monday, Apr 30 2007, 7:26AM

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Paul Wolfowitz, Remarks to the Business for Social Responsibility Conference
Washington DC, November 4, 2005

But punishing corruptors isn't the only solution. In fact, it probably isn't the best solution. The best solution is in fact improved transparency, improved accountability, so that corruptors know ahead of time that they can't hide.
Prevention is much better than the cure. Businesses and civil society organizations can play an important monitoring and advocacy role here, so can the press. And anyone who says that the issue of press freedom is purely a political issue that has nothing to do with development, I don't think understands just how important accountability is to preventing corruption, and just how serious a threat corruption is to the development process.

-- Steve Clemons

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Reader Comments (2) - post a comment

Posted by Gadfly, Apr 30 2007, 8:57AM - Link

It's too bad that Wolfowitz doesn't consider his words worth taking seriously. From Wolfie's mouth, such words sound tinny, vacuous and hypocritical.

Wolfie is a corrupt & incompetent little man. Not only does he not practice what he preaches-- but he then proceeds (par for the course in the neo-con Bush/Cheney junta) to blame others for his own crimes; lies; deceptions; fraud; and, sordid & squalid unethical activities.

Wolfie should be fired from the World Bank, and be put on trial for War Crimes & Crimes Against Humanity for his despicable role in the lead-up to the neo-con Bush/Cheney's bloodbath in Iraq. Perhaps he could spent the rest of his vile life considering the what this adage means:-- "Do As I Say, Not As I Do".

Posted by David N, Apr 30 2007, 10:18AM - Link

His words are also bullshit.

Transparency is needed, but has no meaning if there is then no penalty attached to the crimes. We are seeing that scenario playing out with Wolfie himself.

So what if everyone knows that he was getting the World Bank to pay for his sex? So what if he was getting extra pay and benefits for his favorites? If the consequence of that behavior is a couple of editorials and lots of bloggers saying tut-tut, followed by raking in millions in book deals, speaking fees, and think tank positions, who cares?

The choice is not between openness and punishment. Only both mean anything. Wolfowitz is not just a hypocrite. His standard is also a license to steal.

Which he has done.