Timothy Geithner will probably be confirmed as Treasury secretary by the Senate today. The Senate should reject him. He has been at the upper reaches of international finance for more than a decade. He has an MA in international economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He failed to pay $34,000 in Medicare and Social Security tax in 2001 through 2004. After being nailed by the IRS in an audit for 2003 and 2004 deficiencies, he still failed to pay what was owed for 2001 and 2002 until he became aware that Obama would nominate him to be Treasury secretary. He failed to give satisfactory answers as to why this was so.

He is being considered to be head of the agency that runs the Internal Revenue Service. He is being considered to run the agency that is bailing out big banking companies run by CEOs who continue to pay themselves enormous amounts even in the face of demonstrable failure. He is in charge of trillions in taxpayer money. The Treasury secretary needs to be above reproach.