Obama's main priority is getting the financial system stabilized,...this is a big distraction- Rahm

[masuki bance]

“He more than has the president’s complete confidence,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. As angry as the president is at the news about A.I.G., which he learned Thursday, Mr. Emanuel said, “his main priority is getting the financial system stabilized, and he believes this is a big distraction in that effort.”...

and

David Axelrod, senior adviser to the president, dismissed such talk, citing the financial mess that Mr. Geithner had inherited. “He has been confronted with a situation and challenges that are unparalleled in modern history, and to put it all on his shoulders is not fair and not right,” Mr. Axelrod said. “He’s a brilliant and committed guy with a great deal of experience in this area, and we’re standing with him.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/business/19bailout.html?_r=1&hp

"I have complete confidence in Tim Geithner and my entire economic team," Obama said. "Nobody's working harder than this guy. You know, he is making all the right moves in terms of playing a bad hand."
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200903181414DOWJONESDJONLINE000856_FORTUNE5.htm

The chicken littles on our side running around shouting the sky is falling, are falling in to the trap set by neocons on the right. You all are acting like complete tools. Our President and his team deserve support, not panicky hair-pulling and circular firing squads.

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[masuki bance]

2. Possible that this isn't a very sympathetic board to Obama.

The posts that get the action are the ones calling for the heads of Obama's people.

[Clio the Leo]

5. No, it's possible that those who complain are overly apt to use the "post" button.

And make a new thread to spit their complaints from. :)

[polichick]

3. It's a big distraction from Congressional complicity is what it is.

[Clio the Leo]

4. Thank you, even further support the for notion of.....

.... the admin. trying to frame Dodd is a steaming pile of BS! They dont even want to have to TALK about these bonus checks, much less create even more controversy regarding them.

[depakid]

6. Sorry, but Summer and Gaithner have done little to earn anyone's support

And that doesn't change just because Rahm and Axelrod flap their lips.

[girl gone mad]

7. It shows where Rahm's loyalties lie.

The $165 million in AIG bonuses might be a drop in the bucket, but the whole affair gets right to the heart of why the system is broken.

it seems to me that maximizing to the full extent politically possible financial retribution against the very people whose willful ignorance, short-sightedness, arrogance, and greed caused this whole problem could be one of the best possible outcomes. Anything that could even slightly push corporate culture in this country towards at least a bare minimum of responsibility to the medium and long term interests of the company (and of course by proxy our economy), is an excellent outcome.

To those ends, this is not a distraction on any level. What happened to the administration that could walk and chew gum at the same time?

[rvablue]

8. "Tools" is right. Geithner is tackling a monumental pile of sh*t. We need to give

the administration time to fix this mess and not freak out at every detail.

FWIW, I want that bonus money back.

But the fact that this small fraction of TARP money got misappropriated doesn't put me in the column of those calling for resignations. Give the Secretary a chance!

[eridani]

9. Explain how cheerleaders for deregulation are supposed to stabilize our financial system n/t

[dkf]

10. I'm less concerned about the support we give Obama and more concerned

about the support Obama gives Geithner, which seems to not be coming together yet.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. These guys are trying to defuse a bomb, and many DUers are yelling "CUT ANY WIRE!!!! NOW!!!!"

These DUers are fools. It's really that simple.