"I have been shocked by the degree to which I find corruption pandemic in the world today," declared Secretary of State John Kerry at an Anti-Corruption Summit in London last May. Kerry sounded like the French police chief in Casablanca who was "shocked" to discover gambling. Six years ago at the United Nations, Barack Obama proclaimed that the U.S. government is "leading a global effort to combat corruption." Maybe he forgot to send Kerry the memo.

Much of the teeth-gnashing at that summit involved tax evasion. Politicians pledged to share more data on tax records and corporate ownership to help boost government revenue around the globe. Summit attendees castigated hidden offshore bank accounts — ironically, the same type of accounts used by both British Prime Minister David Cameron and Kerry. A joint communique solemnly pledged to "drive out those lawyers, real estate agents, and accountants who facilitate or are complicit in corruption."