Tempest, meet teacup.

"but Republican leaders are still hoping to at least slow the nomination down in light of the controversy"

gotta love those repugnicans. always looking out for the best interests of the country.

Keep an eye on Bunning. He's up for re-election in 2010 despite being non compos mentis. Not even McConnell pays any attention to him except when he's needed as a doorstop.

All he's got left is obstructionism, so he'll use it every chance he gets.

Some people are just so desperate for a controversy--that's basically all that the MSM knows how to report. Serious discussions of policy and how to deal with our numerous problems? Bor-ing!

Hey Steve, aren't you playing a bit of double standard here? Minor? Fair mistake?

Come on. If he is "your" guy who is smart and competent these transgressions are minor and are mistakes. Your partisan spin on this is just so transparent. How about some independent judgment?

The WaPo reports today:

"Documents released by the Finance committee documented the errors made by Geithner. One showed his signature on a tax worksheet that states that he has an "obligation of the U.S. Social Security tax, which I will pay on my fund income." "

So, he KNEW he had to pay the Self Employment Tax on this! Why does the freaking WaPo has to characterize this as an "error"?

And when the IRS caught him on the last couple years of non payment, did he voluntarily admit his non payment on the previous two years? NO!
This didn't happen until the Obama team vetted him. If he had some integrity he would have volunteered his "error" for the previous two years. Shit.

He is gonna skate on this, no doubt. The country is desperate for salvation, but we'll be doing it with the same kind of technocratic elites that have risen to the top of the heap due to their brains and friends in high places.

Try again Steve, but with more credibility this time.

Serious discussions of policy and how to deal with our numerous problems? Bor-ing!
Posted by: Allan Snyder

you'll love howie's column this morning. he was booooooored to tears yesterday by hillary clinton's endless yammering, er, vast knowledge of the challenges this country faces:

Hillary's Dull Day

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 14, 2009; 8:02 AM

I lost track of how long Hillary Clinton's opening statement was yesterday. I was trying to keep my eyes open.

Her confirmation as secretary of state did not hinge on exciting testimony. In fact, dullness was probably an asset. But there is something about Hillary's monotone--as she droned on about "partnering with NGOs" and "a global education fund to bolster secular education around the world"--that brings on the need for a nap. Even John Kerry looked like he was forcing himself to pay attention.

Sorry lou, after the sorts of Bush picks that sailed through confirmation in recent years, nobody's going to take Republicans seriously about piddly little shit like this. (See Eric Holder vs. Abu G. and Mukasey for the chief example.)

"Only the little people pay taxes." RIP Leona Helmsley. Geithner will set a splendid example for us all as Treasury Secretary.

If Obama wanted to really piss off the Republicans, he would withdraw Geithner's nomination, and replace it with Annie Boddie-Els.

Lou does bring up a lot of good points...I did not know until this morning that Geinther did not
agree to pay the taxes until after Obama's team vetted him. Is this the case? Yesterday after the news broke, I thought it was an honest mistake. Now - not so sure....
He probably is the most qualified person in Washington to get us out of this economic crisis so I doubt if this is going to keep him from the nomination. It just seems that nobody has to play by the rules except for the ordinary working man/woman. Screwed again.

This type of odd tax situation gets screwed up all the time even by CPA's.

If you are an employee with a w-2 and fill out your own tax return there isn't anyplace that will raise a red flag that you have an issue with the social security and medicare taxes. You would really have to be looking for it.

And as for the IRS audit and not finding the prior two years. Most anyone would conclude that the IRS didn't have a problem with those returns if they were pulling returns for audit.

From what I heard last night, Mr. Geithner was warned once by the IRS, so he paid 2 years when he knew full well he owed 4 years' worth. This could still be oversight or forgetfulness, but it seems like he should have known about the problem.

I don't regard the expired green card on the housekeeper to be important. It would be quite burdensome to require employers to keep checking legal status' constantly.

Kyl and Bunning are Bush YES men aren't they?

Mr. Geithner was warned once by the IRS, so he paid 2 years when he knew full well he owed 4 years' worth. This could still be oversight or forgetfulness, but it seems like he should have known about the problem.

While I haven't seen anyone come out and say it, though I think Grassely commented on it somewhere, the most likely reason that Geithner only paid two years worth instead of four at the time of the IRS audit was that the statute of limitations had run on the prior two years and thus the IRS was barred from collecting them and he had no obligation to pay them anymore. No CPA would advise you to pay taxes barred by the statute of limitations (unless they're also your political advisor).

Since the Democrats in the Senate keep their wealth in the same places Republican senators do, it makes sense that they would have no problem with a Sec. Treasury who is incapapble of properly paying his taxes as long as he vows to use the power of the state to keep their wealth safe.

This was when he worked for the IMF wasn't it? From the reports I heard yesterday, this was a common problem among other IMF employees, because they weren't actually considered "employees" but independent contractors.
Not hard to see how anyone who hadn't worked in such a capacity before might neglect this.

Or maybe it is all part of some big conspiracy between Repubs and Dems to protect their wealth. Some people will always spin things in the worst possible way.

Hang on, they can confirm Cabinet secretaries before inauguration day? But how are they nominated? Obama's not president yet- are you telling me the president-elect can nominate a Treasury Secretary? I mean, it makes sense that they'd go ahead and hold the hearings if they know who he was going to pick, but I thought they couldn't be formally nominated until Obama is officially president? Just a point of order, but I'm confused.

Crapo from Idaho, ya can't make this stuff up.

Hang on, they can confirm Cabinet secretaries before inauguration day? But how are they nominated? Obama's not president yet- are you telling me the president-elect can nominate a Treasury Secretary? I mean, it makes sense that they'd go ahead and hold the hearings if they know who he was going to pick, but I thought they couldn't be formally nominated until Obama is officially president? Just a point of order, but I'm confused.

I'm not sure what the exact legalities involved are; I do not that in the British system, from which we stole the "advice and consent" language, the practice generally is that the "advice and consent" is given first and then the monarch is expected to "choose" as directed. So its arguably not at all inconsistent with the "advice and consent" language in the Constitution for the President-Elect to announce that he would like to have a particular person in the office, have the Senate provide its "advice and consent", and then when the President-Elect becomes President he confirms the nominee in office.

Gosh, we've shipped higher paying jobs, that were responsible for exports and bringing money into the country, overseas and replaced them with lower paying service jobs that are often occupied by immigrants that send money OUT of the country. This impacts everything from the size of the tax base to how many people can pay for health care.
We've accelerated our use of energy, throwing aside technology that could help us reduce transfers of wealth to other countries - and actually build up our infrastructure.
Our educational institutions, from high schools to large monolithic universities are in the news more for football and basketball than they are for graduating more qualified teachers, nurses, engineers, etc. or starting new high tech companies that are promised over and over again in many funded federal research proposals.
People that make gobbs of money, from athletes and entertainers to money handlers, are idolized by our countries media.....while people that produce food, manufacture things, etc, - People that produce things of basic substance that can be exported, are often demonized and outsourced.
We have a "heatlh care crisis" yet we march on with the pharms and surgery approach while other countries that are outliving us and living healtier, are focused on preventive health care - which cost a fraction.
Sure its credible - a couple of more tax breaks, lower the interest rate a few more times, a couple of more bailouts and we'll be fine! How insulated from the real world are the "elite" in this country?

I did not know until this morning that Geinther did not agree to pay the taxes until after Obama's team vetted him. Is this the case?

Not exactly. He was audited by the IRS and paid the taxes and interest for those two years. While he was being vetted, the Obama team discovered that there were two previous years for which he had not paid but for which the IRS did not request payment. He voluntarily paid those even though (as Ugh said at 10:24) he was under no legal obligation to do so.

I love how the same people who start screaming at the beginning of April how our tax system is way too confusing and it takes an average of 26.5 hours to do your taxes every year are now swearing that our tax system is so simple and uncomplicated that there's no possible way that Geithner and/or his CPA screwed up something as simple as self-employment tax while working from a 1099.

What's one more tax cheating, illegal immigrant hiring crook in washington! Let him in, I just wonder how much he paid for this position?

I voted for Obama, but can't believe he is still pushing a tax cheat as Treasury Secretary. We need confidence in our elected officials at a time the country is losing confidence in the "system." Obama should realize the importance of honesty and accountability in a Treasury Secretary and pick a different candidate.

If Obama is serious about leading the country out of these tough times, he has to do everything in his power to instill confidence. Avoiding a tainted nominee is better than "staying the course."