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Home Front: Politix
Third Top Treasury Pick Withdraws From Consideration
2009-03-13
Democratic sources say that H. Rodgin Cohen, a partner in the New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and the leading candidate for Deputy Treasury Secretary, has withdrawn from consideration. It's the third withdrawal of a top Treasury Department staff pick in less than a week.

I reported last week that Cohen was likely to be officially nominated for the Deputy Treasury Secretary position. Cohen has been a counsel to just about every major player on Wall Street, which perhaps complicated his nomination.

Now, the nomination is off.

Democratic sources said that an issue arose in the final stages of the vetting process. As one source put it, "it's back to the drawing board."

Cohen had risen to the top after the withdrawal last week of expected deputy treasury secretary pick Annette Nazareth. Nazareth was forced to withdraw from consideration for the deputy treasury slot because senators made it clear she would face tough questioning over her time at the Securities and Exchange Commission -- tenure that overlapped with the agency's failure to catch Bernie Madoff.

And the candidate for Undersecretary for International Affairs, Caroline Atkinson, was told she had to withdraw after a "tax problem" was revealed early in the vetting process, according to officials.

Last week an administration official conceded to me that "it's not easy to find qualified people who don't have conflicts" adding that "dozens of candidates" across the government have been forced to pull out because they couldn't meet President Barack Obama's ethics standards or overcome other vetting issues.
And his ethical standards don't seem to be very high in the first place ...
Obama administration officials have pushed back hard at critics who argue that failure to fill key Treasury Department positions is hampering their response to the economic crisis. The administration has argued that they have more appointees in place than previous administrations and have done big things: housing, stimulus, and the beginning of their bank plans.

But with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner struggling to contain a national economic crisis and helming a department with vital staff positions unfilled -- the latest withdrawal will give critics more ammunition.
Posted by:Fred

#4  Joke I heard:
Q: How is The One different from the Son of God?
A: Jesus could build a cabinet.
Posted by: ed   2009-03-13 23:50  

#3  "have been forced to pull out because they couldn't meet President Barack Obama's ethics standards"

Like to get a drivers license you need to show your birth certificate because thats the law. But to be a President you don't have to show your birh certificate, even if its the law. So confusing to understand his ethics, ain't it.
Posted by: Shavins Big Foot8769   2009-03-13 13:17  

#2  What happens if the Administration can't hire enough people for the management layer? After we do the "We won, get over it" dance, I mean?
Posted by: trailing wife    2009-03-13 13:00  

#1  It's getting hard to find sufficiently unethical people with the right qualifications who are willing to board the Titanic on its maiden voyage.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418    2009-03-13 12:22  

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