It's official

A person who is either a tax cheat or incompetent at a basic level of tax preparation has just been sworn in as Treasury Secretary "because he's the only one in the country smart enough to get us out of this crisis".

Even the resident Senate ex-Klansman (Exalted Cyclops level) understands that Timothy Geithner only paid up when he realized that it was about to derail his nomination:

"'Had he not been nominated for treasury secretary, it's doubtful that he would have ever paid these taxes,' [Senator Robert] Byrd said in a statement."

Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming also pointed out the unfairness of Geithner's getting a pass on his "careless mistakes" to use the nominee's his own words:

"'Nominees for positions that do not oversee tax reporting and collection have been forced to withdraw their nomination for more minor offenses. They have been ridden out of town on a verbal rail,' Enzi told the Senate. 'The fact that we're in a global economic crisis is not a reason to overlook these errors.'"

Gee, I sure hope I don't make any "careless mistakes" on my return this year. If I do, however, I've got one heck of a reason to argue for a mulligan.