How Treasury Secretary Geithner Deals with Traffic Jams

Martin Crustinger of AP has a solid story on the opulent way Treasury Secretary Geithner has been traveling in Europe during his recent meetings with European Union officials.

But what really caught my eye is how the Geithner motorcade deals with traffic jams:

To meet with national leaders and financial officials in five cities in three countries in three days, you need a little help getting around. That's where a police-escorted motorcade comes in handy.

Geithner's caravan of limousines and vans for staff and reporters drew police escorts in each city he visited.

It all worked well until Geithner's entourage hit Marseilles right at rush hour. The road from the airport to a downtown hotel where Geithner was meeting Spanish Prime Minister-elect Mariano Rajoy Brey was jammed.

Still, not to worry. The motorcycle escorts simply squeezed between the two lanes of cars headed into town. The cars were forced to both sides of the road, clearing a path in the middle for the motorcade.

I think I may try this in DC. Any interns out there willing to hop on motorcycles to clear a path for me?

More Evidence the US is Behind the the Eurozone's Developing 'Fiscal Union'

Reuters is reporting that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and new Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti plan to meet next week in Italy, sources said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

The sources said the two would meet in Milan on Wednesday, December 7.

This is just two days before European Union members meet in Brussels for what is like an announcement of a more centrally planned eurozone financial sector.

And it is just days after Geithner and the President had European Council President Herman Van Rompuy over to the White House on Monday, along with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and High Representative Catherine Ashton.

Bottom line: The US is stick handling the new more centrally planned eurozone, where banksters will be free to roam.

Geithner Dinner List

Tuesday evening Treasury Secretary Geithner hosted a dinner at the Treasury with "economists, experts and business leaders to discuss the U.S. and global economies, as well as fiscal issues facing state and local governments."

EPJ has obtained a list of the attendees. For they record, here they are:

Richard Ravitch, former Lieutenant Governor of New York
Dallas Salisbury, Employee Benefit Research Institute
Alicia Munnell, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
Olivia Mitchell, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Steven Kandarian, Met Life, Inc.
Joshua Rauh, Kellogg School of Management at Northwest

It's MLK Day for Geithner

Back from banging heads in Europe, this morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will attend the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial dedication on the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Geithner Headed to Paris to Crack Heads

On Friday, Treasury Secretary Geithner will attend the G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Paris, France. Expect him to put heavy pressure on EuroZone members to launch a full your zone bailout (with the exception of Greece). Greece will most likely be put into a controlled default.

In the afternoon, the Secretary will hold bilateral meetings with European Central Bank President Trichet, German Finance Minister Schauble and French Finance Minister Baroin.

In the evening, the Secretary will meet with People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou.

In the evening, the Secretary will attend a G-20 reception and working dinner at the Cite de l’Architecture

Geithner to Update His Real Bosses, the Power Elite

On Tuesday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will conduct meetings at Treasury.

In the afternoon, the Secretary will travel to New York.

In the evening, Secretary Geithner will attend the Council on Foreign Relations' annual dinner where he will participate in a moderated discussion on the global economy with CFR President Richard Haass.

Another Day of Heavy Plotting by Geithner

On Tuesday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will meet at the Treasury with U.S. and Chinese business leaders to discuss efforts "to boost global growth."

In the afternoon, Secretary Geithner will meet with business leaders at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition to discuss the importance of maintaining "US legacy of leadership and support for the Multilateral Development Banks."

Weekend Plotting for Geithner

On Saturday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will attend a meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee) at IMF Headquarters.

Following that, Secretary Geithner will hold a bilateral meeting with Financial Services Authority Chairman Lord Adair Turner.s.

Later, the Secretary will hold a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan.

Finally, the Secretary will hold a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Central Bank Governor Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

A Serious Day of Plotting for Geithner

On Friday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will hold bilateral meetings with Mexican Central Bank Governor Carstens and People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou at Treasury.

Also in the morning, Deputy Secretary Wolin will hold a bilateral meeting with Israeli Finance Minister Steinitz at Treasury.

In the afternoon, Secretary Geithner will attend the International Monetary Fund annual meetings at IMF Headquarters in Washington DC.

Also in the afternoon, Deputy Secretary Wolin will hold a bilateral meeting with Afghan Finance Minister Zakhilwal and Acting Central Bank Governor Safi at Treasury.

Later in the afternoon, the Secretary will hold bilateral meetings with Israeli Central Bank Governor Fischer and Mexican Finance Minister Meade at IMF Headquarters.

Geithner to Meet with the Mayor of Gotham

On Wednesday morning, the Treasury Secretary will meet with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York City.

In the afternoon, the Secretary will participate in the President’s bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Noda, British Prime Minister Cameron and French President Sarkozy in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly.

Geithner Hangs with the Prez

Like a pet dog, the Treasury Secretary follows the Prez wherever he goes.

On Tuesday, Secretary Geithner will conduct meetings at Treasury. He has no public events.
 
In the evening, the Secretary will travel to New York to join the President for meetings in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Geithner's Monday

Back by popular demand: Tracking Geithner

On Monday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will attend the President’s remarks on  recommendations to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction..
 
At 11: 00 ET AM, the Secretary will participate in a press briefing with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and OMB Director Jack Lew at the White House.
  
In the evening, the Secretary will meet with business leaders to discuss the state of the economy.

Geithner and the Prez Meet Congressional Leadership

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Geithner will attend the President's meeting with Congressional Leadership at the White House to discuss the ongoing deficit reduction efforts.

Fireworks Recovery Day for Geithner

On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Geithner will conduct meetings at Treasury. He has no public events.

Is the End of 'Tracking Geithner' Coming?

 Tim Geithner is considering leaving his post as Secretary of the Treasury after a deal to raise the debt ceiling is reached, a source familiar with the discussion told CNN.

Translation: Rat abandoning sinking ship for high paying Wall Street job, while there still are high paying Wall Street jobs.

Geithner and Bill Clinton Do Chi-Town

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Geithner will travel to Chicago, IL, where he will participate in the Clinton Global Initiative America Conference.

At the closing session of CGI America, the Secretary will join President Clinton for a one-on-one conversation about the state of the economy and spread Obama Administration propaganda on how it plans to "help spur private sector job creation and improve America’s competitiveness."

In the evening, the Secretary will return to Washington, DC.

Other participants at the plotting event, include:

Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi

Stephanie Burns, chairman of Dow Corning

Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana

Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago

Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and CEO of TIAA-CREF

Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan

John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos

Bob McCann, CEO of UBS Wealth Management Americas

Pete Peterson, founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Michael Porter, professor at Harvard Business School

J.B. Pritzker, managing partner, the Pritzker Group

Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation

James E. Rogers, chairman, president CEO of Duke Energy,

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

Full Day: Geithner Works to Keep India Under His Thumb

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Geithner will host Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Washington for the second annual meeting of the U.S.-India Economic and Financial Partnership. Senior economic and regulatory officials from both countries will join Secretary Geithner and Minister Mukherjee for discussion.

In the afternoon, the Secretary will participate in a moderated discussion with Minister Mukherjee at a forum hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Brookings Institution.
Following that, the Secretary will hold a bilateral meeting with Minister Mukherjee at Treasury.
In the evening, Secretary Geithner will host a working dinner for Minister Mukherjee, Reserve Bank of India Governor Duvvuri Subbarao and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at Treasury.

Friday Afternoon Geithner and the Prez Chill

The Treasury reports, on Friday afternoon, Treasury Secretary Geithner will meet with the President at the White House.

Geithner's Thursday

A heavy day of plotting for the Treasury Secretary.

On Thursday morning, Secretary Geithner will meet with members of the Business Roundtable for a discussion on the Administration’s agenda. 

In the afternoon, the Secretary will attend the Vice President's next meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress to continue work on a legislative framework for comprehensive deficit reduction. Participants in the meeting will include the Vice President, Senator Daniel Inouye, Senator Jon Kyl, Senator Max Baucus, Representative Eric Cantor, Representative James Clyburn, Representative Chris Van Hollen, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jacob Lew, and Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling. This meeting at the U.S. Capitol.

Later in the afternoon, Secretary Geithner will meet with the Financial Stability Oversight Board at Treasury. Note indications are that the FSOB is slowly replacing the Plunge Protection Team as the go to government organization that is doing the heavy market plotting.

Geithner to Meet with Wolfgang Schäuble

On Monday morning, Treasury Secretary Geithner will travel to Atlanta, Georgia. While there, the Secretary will meet with a group of local business leaders to discuss the state of the economy and, fiscal policy, 
 
Later that morning in Atlanta, Sceretary Geithner will speak before the International Monetary Conference. 

In the afternoon, Secretary Geithner will return to Washington, DC.
 
On Monday evening, Secretary Geithner will meet for dinner with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.  Schäuble is in the United States as part of the entourage travelling with Chancellor Merkel's official visit to Washington.

Also on Monday, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin will attend the President's monthly meeting with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan at the White House