The Geithner Problem

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Mar 20, 2009 The treasury secretary may indeed be the hardest-working man in Washington. But in order to survive, let alone succeed, he's going to have to make a more convincing case that he's part of the solution and not part of the problem. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

And Now, This Tepid Message From Our Treasury Chief

Staff / Truthdig Mar 20, 2009 We've seen a lot of Timothy Geithner lately in the news -- usually looking concerned yet purposeful as he stands behind the president in photos and press conferences -- but we haven't heard a great deal straight from the source. On Thursday, CNN's Ali Velshi managed to get the treasury secretary talking, but what Geithner had to say is distinctly underwhelming. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

House Passes Bonus Tax Bill

Staff / Truthdig Mar 20, 2009 After the top brass at AIG couldn't be stopped from dishing out $165 million in bonuses to executives who didn't exactly deserve gold-star treatment, Congress is attempting to recoup most of the money by slapping a 90 percent tax on such executive windfalls. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Push Back Against AIG’s ‘Best and Brightest’

Joe Conason / Truthdig Mar 19, 2009 Having long flattered themselves as "masters of the universe," the creative financiers of Wall Street and London are today exposed as grifters rather than geniuses, yet their arrogance remains intact. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Our Justified Populist Rage

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 19, 2009 We are at the beginning of a great popular rebellion against those who showed no self-restraint when it came to lining their own pockets. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

If You’re a ‘Little Guy,’ a Contract Means Nothing

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Mar 19, 2009 If only the contracts entered into by shop-floor workers at auto plants were as inviolate as those secured by the incompetent pirates of the American International Group. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

America’s Most Wanted

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Mar 19, 2009 Dig deeper

Obama Stands by His Treasurer

Staff / Truthdig Mar 19, 2009 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has developed a bad reputation in his short time on the job. He appears to have the fortitude of porridge and a love of banks and the bankers who bankrupt them. Despite calls for Geithner's ouster over the AIG bonus blunder, the president says he has "complete confidence" in his top economist. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Colbert Report’: Take Out Your Pitchforks

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2009 What's to be done when companies that received major bailouts from taxpayers turn around and brazenly offer beaucoup bucks to the executives who helped put us in the hole in the first place? Here are a couple suggestions by way of an answer: Pitchforks! Angry mobs! Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Geithner’s Bonus Plan as Perplexing as His Other Proposals

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2009 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has sent Congress an explanation of his plan to deal with the AIG bonus fiasco. Essentially, Treasury will dock the $165 million in bonuses from AIG's next bailout payment. Here's a question: If AIG can do without that $165 million, why were we giving it to the company in the first place? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Maddow on the Economy, Olbermann’s Giant Head

Staff / Truthdig Mar 18, 2009 MSNBC's resident smartypants, Rachel Maddow, paid a visit to "Late Night With David Letterman" on Monday to guesstimate the size of Keith Olbermann's coconut, describe her rise to the heights of punditry and opine about how Wall Street is like a bumper-car ring. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Failure Retention Payments

Mike Luckovich / Truthdig Mar 18, 2009 Dig deeper