Not A Thief After All, Just A Boob

clipped from www.commentarymagazine.com Abe, perhaps we owe Tim Geithner an apology. We found it incompressible that a sophisticated man who received and signed multiple acknowledgments of his tax obligations could have “forgotten” to pay his taxes. And we doubted that he could have “forgotten” once he was audited to go back and pay the full tax liability beyond the statute of limitations. We assumed he was a petty thief. But from everything we’ve seen in the last month Geithner appears to be an easily distracted under-achiever, unable to complete projects (i.e. a comprehensive bailout bill), and entirely incapable of locating good help. He is plainly and painfully overwhelmed — and the markets are entirely underwhelmed. So maybe he was telling the truth. He is not dishonest, he is simply unable to manage his responsibilities — both personal and professional. I wonder how the senators who voted for the “indispensable man” feel now.