Did someone forget to mention who else worked for USB? Isn't/wasn't Phil Grahamn, the killer of the Glass act , also a USB employee, or should I say mucky-muck ?

I'm a bit tired of all this guilt by association stuff, especially during the election where everything was guilt by association, and the candidates barely took time off to actually criticize things their opponent had actually done.

There ya go! He's pallin' around with people under investagation fer something or other fancy and complicated. He probly even knows a buncha rich people!

This isn't guilt by association. But it's fair to ask if the Admin shouldn't be a little more conscious of the appearance choices like these have with the public. Obama himself said the he "screwed up" with the Daschle and that it was a distraction. And after Richardson and Killefer and Geithner, couldn't they just take a pass on Robert Wolf who, rightly or wrongly, provides yet another distraction?

You know what, eff it. President Obama just shouldn't fill out of the other positions in his cabinet or in his administration. I mean hell if we are now trying to disqualify somebody because he WORKED with a guy who got in trouble who in the phuck would qualify to BE in Obama's cabinet/administration? How many people on this website work at a job where every single person there is squeaky clean? I know I for damn sure don't. To say this has gotten to the point of being ridiculous would be doing a disservice to the word ridiculous. In the end I realize that we are so used to belly aching that we will search high and low to find something to biotch about but really it might be time to actually, you know, embrace hope and change.

Jeebus

It is beginning to look like everybody advising the new President on economics is a tax-evader, a retread hack, or somebody who was responsible for the mess in the first place. After Geithner's jaw-droppingly uninformative presentation today, I am beginning to wonder if anybody on the economic team is to be given any credence or confidence at all. From what I have seen so far, it would not be disastrous if the President simply said, again, "I screwed up," fired the whole lot of them, and started with a new crew, Krugman among them.

I posted this yesterday on a different thread, this Wolf business is just more of the same.

Every day that I read the news I become more and more disillusioned with Obama. To name a few, yesterday it was Obaman going back on his word and joining the Bush administration in the extraordinary rendition/state secrets case in San Fransisco.

Today its Geithner overruling others in the administration regarding regulations and restrictions on Wall Street bankers.

A new found reluctance to repeal the tax cuts on the wealthiest among us.

Obama's reticence in prosecuting criminality during the Bush years.

What I think we have in Obama is Bill Clinton II.
A guy who has a great demeanor, a great appearance, is quite articulate, intelligent, a guy who speaks to the populist issues quite well, who is quite likeable, but who, in the end, is way too friendly with the money changers, Wall Street Bankers and Corporate boys.

The chairman of UBS Americas, Robert Wolf, helped raise more than $250,000 for Sen. Barack Obama's Democratic presidential bid. And another top executive at UBS, former senator Phil Gramm, was until recently a close adviser to Sen. John McCain's Republican campaign.

"UBS, the largest Swiss bank and the largest in Europe in terms of assets, posted a fourth-quarter net loss of 12.5 billion Swiss francs, or $11.3 billion, as it wrote off $13.7 billion in soured U.S. investments, mostly on subprime loans."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/14/business/ubs.php

This whole thing stinks, it seems like the quintessential example of the Washington/Corporate incestuous behavior, and unfortunately, its beginning to seem like Obama is just another player.

Obama is proving himself to be more of the same old same old than change anyone can believe in. It's sickening.
Gethner, Rubin, Summers. These are all Wall Street insiders who helped make the mess we're in. Obama couldn't find anyone, anywhere, besides these men to advise him about and manage the economic policy of his administration?
Of course he could. That he chose these men tells you all you need to know about who really, truly matters to to this President.
Wake up. This is who Obama is, not the man preaching hope and change. After the Geithner/Obama plan I can't delude myself anymore.
I only wish I could take my votes, primary and general election, back.

I must say that since the inauguration I have been very unnerved by the media and many of the blogs which I regularly read. Maybe I am wrong but it would seem that the circumstances that we face in this country demand a much more long-term measured observation than the typical knee-jerk responses I have see thus far. On any given day and on any variety of topics there is an urgent dissatisfaction of Obama's choices, of congressional choices or policy decisions being made in the 4th week since the new POTUS took office. It has become apparent that many in our country want to continue to live in a world where temporary emotions get the better press coverage as well as the most reaction from the perceived public. I think it is abundantly clear that before Obama took office that he would disappoint many on the left as well as the right on any number of choices. I also believe it was abundantly clear with former Pres Bush handling of our economy, foreign diplomacy, defense, energy, etc that it would take thousands of people including our new President many years to turn the US around. I empathize with people's frustrations and I agree that not all of Obama's decisions have left me smiling but there is still lots of time to see what sorts of decisions the new government will make as well as see their results. Patience is a virtue. Obama surely isn't a saint nor do I think he is playing some game we can't figure out. I simply believe that he like many of us wants the public and those dedicated civil servants to raise their voice and rationalize their opinions about how to bring about substantial change. It is up to is, damn it. Right your congressman, go volunteer in your community, change the world by changing your life.

Peace