Who Stays, Who Goes?

How long can they hold on?

• Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank, embroiled in controversy over getting his girlfriend a sky-high paying job.

• Alberto Gonzales at Justice engulfed in allegations of firing eight U.S. attorneys because they wouldn't help Republican candidates.

• Karl Rove once again under the gun, this time for some White House emails gone astray.

In government, you can hold on as long as you have strong backers willing to lend you a hand. That's why Wolfowitz may make it, since the United States is the biggest shareholder in the World Bank. And it's why Rove, who some have called Bush's brain, will probably stay on as long as he wants.

But in government, when the going gets tough, the tough often let go of underlings to take the heat off themselves. Which is why, as the U.S. attorney scandal spreads to Republicans in the House and Senate, such as New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici, Gonzoles may not make it. It's the same reason officials who ran Walter Reid Army Hospital are gone, and why Michael Brown -- remember Brownie? -- is no longer working at FEMA.

The private sector is different. Sure, there's often back-biting enough to fill a bear-baiting pit. But the answer to "how long can he or she hold on?" is ultimately decided by consumers and investors.

Don Imus couldn't hold on because advertisers wanted him to go, because consumers threatened to leave if he didn't. CEOs like Bob Nardelli at Home Depot, Hank McKinnell at Pfizer, and Carly Fiorina at HP couldn't hold on because investors had enough.

In the public sector, success or failure is up for grabs because you're often trying to achieve multiple and sometimes even conflicting goals. Meanwhile, lots of people are trying to take credit and avoid blame. One of the first pieces of advice I got when I took over the Department of Labor was to remember that, in Washington, a "friend" is someone who stabs you in the front.

So how to you survive in Washington? You just try to use your best judgment, and when in doubt ask yourself how it would look on the front page of The Washington Post, reported in the least favorable light.

By contrast, in the private sector, the goal is clear. Either you attract consumers and make a profit, or you don't. And if you don't, it doesn't matter if you have all the friends in the world. You may get a 14-carrot golden parachute. But you're still outta there.