THE PLANK MARCH 24, 2009
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For anyone interested in a little Treasury Department psychodrama, tune in tomorrow morning for a live webcast of an interview between Tim Geithner and Evercore Partners' Roger Altman at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Historians of the Clinton era will remember Altman as the Bentsen deputy Treasury secretary who fell on his sword in the early days of the Whitewater scandal; he went on to make bank on Wall Street but has forever been trying to find his way back to 15th and G. In pretty much every presidential race since, he has worked overtime as a Wall Street sherpa to one lucky candidate, who inevitably loses in the primaries or general election. In 2004 he was supposedly on tap to be President John Kerry's Treasury secretary, and he was angling hard for the job under President Hillary Clinton.
Tomorrow morning he'll be seated across from the man who holds the post he so long coveted. Normally, you'd expect lasers to burst forth from Altman's eyes to reduce the usurper to a smoldering pile. But, given recent events, I imagine the dynamic will be a little different ...
--Clay Risen
5 comments
Yes, Altman's a chartered member of our one-party NY-DC Oligarchy. Buddies with ex-Commerce Sec'y in the Clinton era Jeff Garten. Also close IIUC to current Auto-whatever (da-fe?) Steve Rattner (not to be confused with our own ratnerstar).
It would be fun to map out the Oligarchy. All the donor lists are public. Back issues of Portfolio, if it's still around, could help limn the social ties.
- teplukhin2you
March 24, 2009 at 5:23pm
Then you'll dig on this, Tep: The aide who got Altman in trouble, Bentsen Chief of Staff Josh Steiner, is a co-founder, with Rattner, of the Quadrangle Group.
- Clay Risen
March 24, 2009 at 5:49pm
limn it, dude.
- papashantz
March 24, 2009 at 5:56pm
Because Clay Risen neglected to frame [politically] the role the Council on Foreign Relations plays in sustaining America's ruling class, I thought I'd dig up one myself. After all, there are lots of different way to play "democracy".
From the IC web site:
If one group is effectively in control of national governments and multinational corporations; promotes world government through control of media, foundation grants, and education; and controls and guides the issues of the day; then they control most options available. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), and the financial powers behind it, have done all these things, and promote the "New World Order", as they have for over seventy years.
The CFR is the promotional arm of the Ruling Elite in the United States of America. Most influential politicians, academics and media personalities are members, and it uses its influence to infiltrate the New World Order into American life. Its' "experts" write scholarly pieces to be used in decision making, the academics expound on the wisdom of a united world, and the media members disseminate the message.
That a ruling power elite does indeed control the U.S. government behind the scenes has been attested to by many americans in a position to know. Felix Frankfurter, Justice of the Supreme Court (1939-1962), said: "The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes." In a letter to an associate dated November 21, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt wrote, "The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson." February 23, 1954,
- iambiguous
March 24, 2009 at 6:32pm
word. I'm lim'nit.
- teplukhin2you
March 25, 2009 at 12:50am