Tax Cheat Timothy Geithner Confirmed

Timothy Geithner should not be the treasury secretary, but he was confirmed in a 60-34 vote to oversee the Treasury Department.

The man is a tax cheat.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Monday confirmed New York Federal Reserve Bank chief Timothy Geithner as President Barack Obama's treasury secretary despite tax problems that might have sunk his nomination in less desperate times.

The 60-34 vote, in which handfuls of Republicans and Democrats voted against their party leaders, put Geithner at the helm of Obama's economic team as it races to halt the worst financial slide in generations.

In swift order reflecting the urgency, Obama was expected to attend Geithner's swearing in Monday evening at the Treasury Department. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Geithner has made amends—he has paid the taxes and penalties—and possesses the talent the nation needs to steer the nation out of the crisis.

Geithner, 47, served as undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs during the Clinton administration. As president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, he's been a key player in the government's response to collapsing financial institutions and the housing and credit markets since last summer.

Many Republicans were willing to overlook Geithner's failure to pay all his taxes on income received from the International Monetary Fund in 2001 and in three subsequent years.

For most senators, the real reason for Geithner's likely confirmation appears to be less a matter of bipartisan cooperation than political survival. Lawmakers of all stripes are eager to set the economy in the right direction long before voters judge their progress in the 2010 midterm elections.

...not everyone was convinced that the need for a speedy confirmation should trump concerns about the candidate. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, didn't buy Geithner's contention that he skipped paying some taxes because he was confused by the complexities of the tax code.

"They were described by the nominee himself as 'careless mistakes,'" Collins said in prepared remarks. "It has become clear to me that this is not merely a matter of complexity leading to mistakes, but of inexcusable negligence."

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., agreed and noted that his is one of the few voices of dissent.

"Nominees for positions that do not oversee tax reporting and collection have been forced to withdraw their nomination for more minor offenses. They have been ridden out of town on a verbal rail," Enzi told the Senate. "The fact that we're in a global economic crisis is not a reason to overlook these errors."

"The Senate," he scolded, "is not supposed to be a group of 'yes' men."

It wasn't. Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa lined up against the nominee, asking how someone of Geithner's "financial sophistication" could innocently not pay the taxes and then head up the agency that oversees the IRS.

"How can Mr. Geithner speak with any credibility or authority?" Harkin said.

Why did Democrats Harkin, Robert Byrd, and our own Russ Feingold cross party lines and vote against Geithner's confirmation?

The Dems needed a few members to break ranks to give the appearance of a bipartisan vote.

Harkin was just reelected. He has nothing to worry about, and most likely his constituents weren't happy with tax cheat Geithner as the treasury secretary. Harkin was safe in opposing Geithner.

Byrd won't be up for reelection for four years. And what are the odds that he would run if he's still alive and able? He can basically do whatever he wants.

Feingold probably jumped at the chance of acting mavericky, plus he's up for reelection in 2010.

Before the confirmation hearing, Feingold said, "[I]t's certainly troubling that the person who is about to head up the department that oversees the Internal Revenue Service has had these tax problems."

Herb Kohl was getting heat from constituents to vote against Geithner. I suppose Feingold was, too.

Kohl did not listen to the people he represents. He voted for tax cheat Geithner.

Politically, looking ahead to 2010, it was smart of Feingold to play maverick.

By the way, is the Republican Party of Wisconsin looking ahead to 2010?

Hey! RPW! Feingold is up for reelection in 2010. Looking for a candidate to oppose him? Is this going to be like 2006, when the RPW literally guaranteed Kohl's reelection?

But I digress.

Barack Obama needed some Dems to vote against Geithner to keep up the facade of this administration being post-partisan. Obama wouldn't want the Dems to look like his personalized rubber stamp.

Bottom line: Sixty senators, including so-called REPUBLICAN senators, were willing to overlook Geithner's lawbreaking.

That's the real disgrace.

We have a crook as the secretary of the treasury and it's OK with Obama.

I didn't think we would ever get to the point in this country where a tax cheat would be tapped to serve as the secretary of the treasury.

Icicles are forming in hell.