"I certainly do not recall Giethner leading the bail-out of GM and Chrysler. Seemed more like he was drug along kicking and screeming. "

That's pure fiction unless you know someone in the Administration who tells you otherwise.

"The terms on which WS "repaid" TARP and bought back options were about the minimum that would not be seen as outright gifts "

More fiction - if McCain had won they would have been allowed to cancel the warrants which they were demanding strongly.

"revenue to make those payments came largely from WS arbitrage of the difference between the Fed cost of funds and what they could get in the market. I.E. the public gave them free money for them to lend at interest. "

Wrong again. By the way, the discount window was not invented by the Obama administration.

"The whole TARP issue is only the tip of the iceberg of Fed and Treasury assistance to TBTFs, and this has been to the detriment of the "real economy", which has continued to wither."

Which is why we have just had the longest period of manufacturing growth in 20 years.

"Small banks didn't get TARP money, but mid sized regional banks, such as my bank, Bank of the Ozarks, did, at Treasury insistence, under Paulson. "

And that's not even false, it's Republican PR bullshit. The records are online - look it up.

Keep reading Yves Smith and keep believing RW propaganda and calling it "left".