Last week, the media airwaves were abuzz with the news that Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, had improperly secured a raise for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, who works at the bank. After she was transferred from the Bank to the U.S. State Department to avoid a conflict of interest, Wolfowitz kept Riza on the Bank's payroll, where she made more than Condoleezza Rice does as secretary of state, and Riza was put on a fast track to being one of the Bank's most powerful actors. In case anyone has forgotten, Wolfowitz was one of the chief architects behind the war in Iraq and served as a deputy secretary of defense for the Bush administration.

Wolfowitz said that he is sorry, and, of course, that he made a mistake that he plans on never repeating again. Bank staff, members of the board and watchdog groups are calling for him to leave. He has dug in his heels and refuses to do so, and the White House has stated its support of him.

Does this man have any shame? "I believe in the mission of this organization, and I believe I can carry it out," he said. Certainly, he said the same thing when he crafted the Iraq war. Where is his dedication to that brainchild? He failed miserably, and instead of retiring to a country estate with his wealth, he was given another powerful post where he surrounded himself with more of his neoconservative friends.

Wolfowitz needs to own up to this mess and resign gracefully. Washington, D.C.'s offices are not the places to give gifts to your girlfriend, nor are they places for people who have proven themselves to be miserable failures in their largest endeavors.