I want to shed some "lyte" on accountability. There seems to be a growing chorus calling for Timothy Geithner, the newly appointed Treasury Secretary, to resign. Part of this is blowback over the AIG bonus debacle and the revelation that Geithner asked Senator Chris Dodd to remove language forbidding such bonuses from the stimulus bill. Geithner feared, and rightly so, that such restrictions would be illegal and subject the government to litigation. Part is also due to the fact that after a whole 2 months in office, Secretary Geithner has not presented the perfect plan to clean up the whole toxic asset problem that plagues our banking industry.
Am I alone in thinking that we might be expecting too much, too soon? This economic meltdown was 30 years in the making, and we want it fixed by the vernal equinox? And if it isn't, then heads must roll? Our nation of late has a rich history of holding no one responsible for anything. If I could give former President Bush a suggestion for the title of his memoir of the eight years of mind-boggling incompetence we witnessed under his administration, it would be, "Mistakes Were Made."
Refresh my memory. Who was fired after 9/11? Oh, that's right, no one. I don't recall anyone being called up before Congress to face a grilling on how the greatest terror attack happened on their watch. In fact, the administration had to be forced to form a 9/11 commission to find out what happened and conveniently ignored the findings. I don't remember anyone out in the streets of Washington, or in front of the CIA headquarters Langley, Virginia, demanding that the people who missed the myriad of clues that this attack was imminent be killed or at least, fired. In fact, the president dismissed the CIA personnel that briefed him that such an attack was going to happen with, and I quote, "You've covered your ass, you can go now." This is same president who ignored the presidential daily briefing titled, "Bin Ladin Determined To Attack In The United States." Where were the calls for his impeachment? Why wasn't George Tennant fired? No, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom.
What about our botched invasion and occupation of Iraq? Why wasn't Rumsfeld called before Congress to explain why there were no weapons of mass destruction, or why are there was so much looting in the aftermath. When asked in a press conference, Rumsfeld answered, "Stuff happens." Stuff happens? Where were the pitchforks and the torches then? How come Rumsfeld wasn't fired until November, 2006, the day after the mid-terms that saw the Democrats return to power in Congress?
How about the government response (or lack thereof) to Hurricane Katrina? We watched an American city drown in front of our very eyes. Our President did a fly over. Apparently, major news networks were capable of getting to New Orleans, but our government wasn't. Where was the outrage? The demands that something be done? And four years later, New Orleans is still struggling.
Are these calls for Geithner's resignation because this time the crisis is about money? Our personal safety, our stature in the world, our ability to take of our citizens in a time of dire need, no big deal. Hurt my money, and hear the howls. The calls for accountability ring a little hollow, especially when we are holding the fireman accountable for the fire.
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