WASHINGTON -- Timothy F. Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Treasury secretary, failed to pay more than $34,000 in federal taxes over several years early this decade, and also faces questions about the employment papers of a former household employee, suddenly complicating what had seemed to be an easy confirmation process in the Senate. Mr. Geithner, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, huddled privately with members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday afternoon to explain that he had now paid the back taxes and interest. Senate Democratic leaders quickly released statements of support lest the controversy threaten the nomination.Two senior Senate Republicans likewise gave endorsements, echoing the argument of Obama transition officials that Mr. Geithner's failures were innocent mistakes or technicalities.
WASHINGTON -- Timothy F. Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Treasury secretary, failed to pay more than $34,000 in federal taxes over several years early this decade, and also faces questions about the employment papers of a former household employee, suddenly complicating what had seemed to be an easy confirmation process in the Senate.
Mr. Geithner, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, huddled privately with members of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday afternoon to explain that he had now paid the back taxes and interest. Senate Democratic leaders quickly released statements of support lest the controversy threaten the nomination.
Two senior Senate Republicans likewise gave endorsements, echoing the argument of Obama transition officials that Mr. Geithner's failures were innocent mistakes or technicalities.
Smart is the new cool. So said Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools' chief, at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday to be Barack Obama's education secretary. Obama's brainy ways and political posse of "hot nerds," as one admiring reporter dubbed them, could inspire schoolchildren to aspire. When Duncan spends a little more time in Washington, he will learn something strange: Politics is a place where really smart people often get caught doing really dumb things. Take Tim Geithner, the hot nerd tapped by Obama to fix the colossal mess left by W. and Henry Paulson, a man who played with live snakes and dead-on-arrival ideas. How does a guy on the fast track to be Treasury secretary fail to pay $34,000 worth of federal taxes ($43,200, including interest), or forget to check on the immigration status of a house cleaner -- the same sort of upstairs-downstairs slip-up that has tripped up other top-drawer prospects on their way to top jobs here? Americans expect the man who's in charge of the I.R.S. to pay his own taxes.
Smart is the new cool.
So said Arne Duncan, the Chicago schools' chief, at his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday to be Barack Obama's education secretary.
Obama's brainy ways and political posse of "hot nerds," as one admiring reporter dubbed them, could inspire schoolchildren to aspire.
When Duncan spends a little more time in Washington, he will learn something strange: Politics is a place where really smart people often get caught doing really dumb things.
Take Tim Geithner, the hot nerd tapped by Obama to fix the colossal mess left by W. and Henry Paulson, a man who played with live snakes and dead-on-arrival ideas.
How does a guy on the fast track to be Treasury secretary fail to pay $34,000 worth of federal taxes ($43,200, including interest), or forget to check on the immigration status of a house cleaner -- the same sort of upstairs-downstairs slip-up that has tripped up other top-drawer prospects on their way to top jobs here? Americans expect the man who's in charge of the I.R.S. to pay his own taxes.
I know everybody loves to hate MoDo, but she has her moments. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
