The Treasury has a Secretary and a Godfather

Timothy Geithner is one protected guy. Rather than fire him for his early poor performance, he has been surrounded by handlers. This was obvious to me with the way his dealings with the press had changed.

However, I didn't realize how deep the protection went. According to WSJ, since his early mishaps, Rahm Emanuel has been stick handling Geithenr's steps at Treasury:

Timothy Geithner took control of the Treasury Department, directing the government's response to the financial crisis.

Within three weeks, the White House tightened its grip, alarmed by the poor reaction to Mr. Geithner's performance during the rollout of his rescue plan, government officials say. Since then, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been so involved in the workings of the Treasury that "Rahm wants it" has become an unofficial mantra among some at the Treasury, according to government officials.