Wolfowitz should do the honorable thing and resign

Conservatives love to talk about values, the rule of law, and the evilness of corruption, but right here right now with the situation with Neoconservative Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank, somehow the normal "rules" have been suspended. Somehow, the normal "rules" don't apply to the ruling Neoconservative elite. No surprise there.

What should Wolfowitz do? He should do the honorable thing to protect the reputation of the World Bank as an institution and resign.

Will he resign? Not of his own volition. The "rules" promoted by the Neoconservatives are design to permit them to gather and keep power. The mere thought that the "rules" of the Neoconservatives could be applied to one of their own is, well, unthinkable.

President Bush is under enough pressure on so many fronts that the World Bank is the least of his concerns. Although Wolfowitz was one of the primary architects of the U.S. "liberation" of Iraq and the mess that has followed, even now I don't think President Bush blames Wolfowitz for even one iota of the criticisms being heaped on the administration. President Bush and the Neoconservatives will blame everybody else, especially "critics", but they will never blame Wolfowitz for "fighting the good Neoconservative fight."

Even though President Bush is disinclined to dump Wolfowitz, there are enough pragmatists in the White House and the Republican National Commitee, and there are enough people worried about the impact of disillusionment over Iraq on the elections in 2008, that the pragmatic view will ultimately win out and Wolfowitz will be "instructed" to submit his resignation.

Loyalty is extremely important within the Neoconservative ranks, but survival and clinging to power are even more important.

If Wolfowitz isn't gone by the end of the week, the Neoconservatives will have committed a major blunder and will be handing the Democrats in Congress a veritable feast on a silver platter.

-- Jack Krupansky