bin laden determined to get AIG bonuses ... you mean that letter?

If only I could be sure that the idea of our leaders listening to Rush was truly a joke.

I want to hear what Obama's teleprompter has to say about this!

Change indeed.

Generation_D: bin laden determined to get AIG bonuses ... you mean that letter?

*attempts an eye roll so massive it ends up blowing his eyeballs out of their sockets*

Ten bucks says Geitner eventually winds up taking the bullet on this.

Is it cool with you guys if I just go ahead and sum up this thread before it gets a full head of steam?

Right-Wing Farkers: WHARGARBL
Left-Wing Farkers: WHARGARBL

/He's a politician. Get used to it.

Didn't take long for Obama to throw Geithner under the bus.

And no mention of Sen. Dodd being the #1 recipient of campaign donations from AIG employees (and Obama being #2).

Geithner just found out about these bonuses last Tuesday? Way to be on your job Tax Boy.

OK, here is a bit of friendly advice for the Obama administration:

Lay off Lush Rimjob.

It isn't doing you any good. Mentioning him in a disparaging way as often as you have is a blatantly transparent attempt at distraction. It does you no credit, and it makes you look weak.

I suspect that like Howard Stern, Rush welcomes being excoriated in the media because it is free advertising. He isn't a serious policy wonk or an important politician: He's an entertainer. You should treat him as such: Irrelevent, thus not worthy of comment.

By using him as an ad hominem punching bag, you are further alienating a sizable fraction of the voting public, adding a degree of polarization that is neither necessary nor productive.

In short, ignore the idiot, because you are stooping down to his level, and it makes you look like a petty asshole.

/My 2 cents
//Independent voter (split my ticket between Dems and Reps)
///Voted for McCain.
////Not a Dittohead.

Dancin_In_Anson: Ten bucks says Geitner eventually winds up taking the bullet on this.

That'd be sad. He's actually one of the few that could actually fix things.

Last One Left: That'd be sad. He's actually one of the few that could actually fix things.

You're kidding, right? The guy can't even remember to pay his taxes.

I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

And no mention of Sen. Dodd being the #1 recipient of campaign donations from AIG employees

Ok, lets just get this part out of the way:
Link (new window)

The attempt to blame Dodd is based on a patently false claim that was first fed to The New York Times on Saturday by an "administration official" granted anonymity by Times reporters Edmund Andrew and Peter Baker (in violation, as usual, of the NYT anonymity policy, since all the official was doing was disseminating pro-administration spin). The accusation against Dodd is that there is nothing the Obama administration can do about the AIG bonus payments because Dodd inserted a clause into the stimulus bill which exempted executive compensation agreements entered into before February, 2009 from the compensation limits imposed on firms receiving bailout funds. Thus, this accusation asserts, it was Dodd's amendment which explicitly allowed firms like AIG to make bonus payments that were promised before the stimulus bill was enacted.

That is simply not what happened. What actually happened is the opposite. It was Dodd who did everything possible -- including writing and advocating for an amendment -- which would have applied the limitations on executive compensation to all bailout-receiving firms, including AIG, and applied it to all future bonus payments without regard to when those payments were promised. But it was Tim Geithner and Larry Summers who openly criticized Dodd's proposal at the time and insisted that those limitations should apply only to future compensation contracts, not ones that already existed. The exemption for already existing compensation agreements -- the exact provision that is now protecting the AIG bonus payments -- was inserted at the White House's insistence and over Dodd's objections. But now that a political scandal has erupted over these payments, the White House is trying to deflect blame from itself and heap it all on Chris Dodd by claiming that it was Dodd who was responsible for that exemption.

Geithner and Summers are the dickheads here, not Dodd.

canyoneer: I'm stupid drunk already this morning. Wish I had a job.

Heck, even I'm not drinking yet.

canyoneer: I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

If only there were a search engine that you could type that kind of query into...

canyoneer: I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

what would that prove?

If he took their money in campaign contributions, but still spoke out against the bonuses, isn't that a good thing? As opposed to, say, taking their money and saying nothing about the bonuses?

canyoneer: I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

People seem to forget just how goddamn much money Obama's campaign pulled in. AIG could have maxed their contributions across the board and still not been more then a drop of water in an ocean of cash.

canyoneer: I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

If it was me, I would take as much as they gave me and then do whatever I was going to do anyway.

Who are they going to give their contributions to next time? Another loser?

Was the letter titled 'AIG determined to attack inside the US'?

/nothing

I thought it was common knowledge that nobody in our government ever reads anything.

Oh, I see that the subject of hack politicians taking bribes from corrupt corporations isn't a popular tack this morning, and couldn't possibly have anything to do with Barack Obama. He's different. He brings change.

Cubicle Jockey: Geithner and Summers are the dickheads here, not Dodd.

Exactly.

Is it too early to start impeachment?
I guess this is what you would expect from a no-experience community organizer.
At least his is not thinking about screwing the wounded vets out of their health care.


Change!!
Change!!

the article does not say exactly when in January the letter was written. For some reason i have a feeling it ended up in the piles of stuff that bush burnt on his way out the door.

canyoneer: I wonder how much money Obama took from AIG in campaign contributions?

Yeah! Obama has been in AIG's pocket his whole presidency!!! Wait... you're telling me that the AIG bailout was in September 2008? Before he was even elected President?

Uh... never mind.

ghare: canyoneer: I'm stupid drunk already this morning. Wish I had a job.

Heck, even I'm not drinking yet.

At least you've got the stupid part covered! (I kid, I kid. I just couldn't pass that one up.)

/slashies prove I didn't mean to offend, right?

But when did Obama's TelePrompTer tell him about the AIG bonuses?

Somehow I have a hard time being mad at Obama or the Obama Administration over this.

He has been handed a burning ship that is taking on water. So far he seems to be pushing to plug the holes, bail the water, and put out the fires. While they haven't been able to fix everything yet, at least there appears to be a concerted effort to do so.

What I think is terribly convenient is that Republicans choose this morning... the morning the AIG hearings begin... to act outraged. Weird timing, don't ya think?

Look... nobody except the execs who are pulling in these bonuses wants them to get these bonuses (maybe their over-privileged progeny too)... We're all on the same page on that. Obama hears about this and says we're going to look into this... so he too is upset about this too, but you want me to be angry at him for being upset about this too? The method you use to try and convince me is that he isn't outraged fast enough for you?

Okay... let me be really clear about this. The President is not empowered with some kind of Omnipotence when they take office. I know some of you thought that Bush was inspired by some divine force that directed his choices and that force is unquestionable and makes sure he knows everything, but that's bullshiat. The President, weather it be Bush or Obama or any other person, can only know about so much. Important things sometimes slip through the cracks. This detail apparently did, but when Obama became aware of the situation he was quick to let us know that he's going to find out about the situation and work to fix it.

But you want me to be mad at Obama about this?

No... I think I'll save my precious outrage for the people who are trying to give themselves giant bonuses while they fleece the American people... again.

The faux outrage on this is so bad.

They all knew about this.

Geithner, knew about it, as he was the architect of teh bailout.

Chris Dodd, the biggest recipient of A.I.G. contributions, helped with a small blurb in the Stimulus Law, explicitly ensuring the protection of the bonuses. Then feign outrage. (pure scum)

Obama, the POTUS knew everything.


Surely plenty of GOP congresscritters knew it as well.


The fauxtrage is pretty weak, and obvious.

Ball Sack Obama: You're kidding, right? The guy can't even remember to pay his taxes.

Who else has the knowledge needed to figure out the shiat AIG has got itself in? Certainly, not the blowhard Senators I've seen talking themselves up recently.

Last One Left: Dancin_In_Anson: Ten bucks says Geitner eventually winds up taking the bullet on this.

That'd be sad. He's actually one of the few that could actually fix things.


This is about the time Obama will appoint a special blue ribbon panel to handle this particular issue, and let Geithner focus on the bigger picture and go back to doing what he has been, which as far as I can tell is nothing.

I wonder if they can pull George Mitchell out of the attic again.

canyoneer: Oh, I see that the subject of hack politicians taking bribes from corrupt corporations isn't a popular tack this morning, and couldn't possibly have anything to do with Barack Obama. He's different. He brings change.

so no answer to my question, then?

How is it bad if he took their money and then still berated them? If he did the opposite (took their money and remained mum on the bonuses), wouldn't THAT have been the scandal?

AIG CEO Liddy is on the hill this morning at 10 eastern. CSPAN 3 on your tv or go to cspan.com to watch it on the web.

*gets popcorn and watches the righteous indignation feignfest*

I have an idea.

There's 535 members of Congress making around $190,000 a year. Take it from them... that's about $100,000,000. That will teach them not to sign shiat THEY DIDN'T READ!

dittybopper: My 2 cents

Just thought you might like to know that the article did not mention the words "Rush" or "Limbaugh".

Phil Herup:

Chris Dodd, the biggest recipient of A.I.G. contributions, helped with a small blurb in the Stimulus Law, explicitly ensuring the protection of the bonuses. Then feign outrage. (pure scum)


Everybody laugh and point at Phil Herup, for not RTFT and seeing this one was already debunked.

Ball Sack Obama: You're kidding, right? The guy can't even remember to pay his taxes.

Do you think Chimpy was a good president? I mean, geez, he couldn't remember his time in service in the National Guard.

JohnnyC: Somehow I have a hard time being mad at Obama or the Obama Administration over this.


Drink up.

Last One Left: Who else has the knowledge needed to figure out the shiat AIG has got itself in?



?

PacersJAM3s: /He's a politician. Get used to it.


this.

Hobodeluxe: AIG CEO Liddy is on the hill this morning at 10 eastern. CSPAN 3 on your tv or go to cspan.com to watch it on the web.

*gets popcorn and watches the righteous indignation feignfest*

Yeah, if the article is right and they removed the bonus-ban language under pressure from lobbyists, fark them all.

Obama got over $100,000 from AIG (new window). Is he going to give that back?

Dancin_In_Anson: Ten bucks says Geitner eventually winds up taking the bullet on this.

The guy obviously is not qualified. Never should have been confirmed, he just lucked out and was the first tax cheat, so he got a pass. He'll be gone soon, thank God.

Last One Left: Dancin_In_Anson: Ten bucks says Geitner eventually winds up taking the bullet on this.

That'd be sad. He's actually one of the few that could actually fix things.

i have to be honest, i'm not a big Geitner fan.

however :

1) i know very little about finance
2) my opinion is not worth much

so, who cares what i think

40yoVirgin: Do you think Chimpy was a good president? I mean, geez, he couldn't remember his time in service in the National Guard.

From what I understand, that time in his life was a bit of a blur...

This country is so farked.

The fact that this has become America's politics is so depressing.

It was fun while it lasted.

dracos31: Everybody laugh and point at Phil Herup, for not RTFT and seeing this one was already debunked.



Drink up.

40yoVirgin: Ball Sack Obama: You're kidding, right? The guy can't even remember to pay his taxes.

Do you think Chimpy was a good president? I mean, geez, he couldn't remember his time in service in the National Guard.

But,but,but...Bush!

Phil Herup: dracos31: Everybody laugh and point at Phil Herup, for not RTFT and seeing this one was already debunked.



Drink up.



So you are saying what was posted is factually incorrect? How about some proof instead of a lame thumbnail of Kool-Aid Man?