The so-called scandal that drove Paul Wolfowitz from his post as president of the World Bank has ended, not with a bang but a whimper. The Wall Street Journal ($link) points out that the world media which jumped at the chance to smear Wolfowitz is ignoring the outcome of the formal investigation that ensued:

Following a call from us, a bank spokesman says the investigation has been completed, and that the report finds "no basis to conclude misconduct occurred." The tab for this fishing expedition? The bank won't say, and Goodmans didn't return our calls. But a source estimates the cost to the bank runs north of $500,000.

That figure may be pocket change at the bank, though it is hardly so for the poor people whom the bank ostensibly exists to serve