Layers of Hypocrisy

To add to Matt’s point that the perception that Wolfowitz is corrupt and hypocritical has actual consequences, it should also be noted that Wolfowitz is particularly vulnerable on this point because his anti-corruption program has been highly selective, and even worse has been selective in ways that dovetail with the Bush administration’s foreign policy. There’s a case to be made for making the integrity of a country’s government a more important criterion in the disbursement of aid, but obviously it won’t fly if there’s a self-exemption from the rules in both one’s policy choices and their personal dealings.