Paul Wolfowitz – hawk extraordinaire, loyal friend of George Bush; and a bit of a player – finds himself in a spot of bother these days. You all remember the Wolfman, right? He’s the guy who, along with his good buddy Rumsfeld, declared in early 2001 that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was “doable”. Wolfowitz was one of the chief architects of the Click here, centering on pre-emption and American unilateralism, as well as the war on Iraq. When the American public didn’t buy into it initially, Wolfowitz was one of the masterminds of the infamous “weapons of mass destruction” myth. It worked.

By the end of 2004, when the war in Iraq – and its chief proponents – became a political liability, Bush decided it was time his good friend moved on less controversial pastures. So he nominated Wolfowitz to be President of the World Bank. He should have known that controversy and the Wolfman go together like a horse and carriage. After lying low for a spell, while he got his feet wet, Wolfowitz went back to doing what he does best; stirring the pot. First, he appointed two former Bush Administration buddies as close advisors with $250,000 tax-free contracts. That raised a whimper, but it soon settled down.

Things started going downhill for Wolfowitz when he decided to do his girlfriend a favor. Ms. Click here, an eight year veteran staff member, received a promotion and salary raises of over $60,000 tax-free. Some favor!

No one doubts that Wolfowitz has a brilliantly incisive mind, but he could have taken lessons from Dale Carnegie. A winning personality he was not. Let’s just say he did not suffer fools gladly. So naturally, when his deputies at the World Bank saw an opportunity to stick it to him, they grabbed it with both hands.

It was alleged that three, of the top five, international appointments Wolfowitz made were senior political figures from right-wing governments that provided strong backing for Washington’s Iraq policy. Some bank staffers also charged Wolfowitz with favoring those with Republican connections; and evangelical Christians.

What strikes me, as a third party observer, is the obvious enthusiasm with which the World Bankers – many of the Europeans - are sticking it to Wolfowitz – almost as if it was a long awaited payback. Sure, that thing with the girlfriend was a bit stupid, but hardly an earth shattering event. I would very much doubt that all the finger pointers are saints themselves.

Perhaps – and this is just conjecture on my part – part of it has to do with Wolfowitz being an American. I have traveled extensively in Europe; and what I discovered was – while American tourist dollars are gratefully accepted – many Americans are perceived as slightly arrogant upstarts: no real history or culture, you know, just a lot of money. Part of it could be pure envy, of course, but that can be a dangerous emotion.

The ‘lesser people’ have seen through the Emperor’s clothes and he appears pretty naked right now. So the long knives are out; and I don’t think they are going to be sheathed until some blood is shed.