Just watched a loooooooong pod cast interview with Neer Kashnir (sp?) the one guy left as the assistant secretary of the treasury from the Bush regime and asked to stay on by Obama as Charlie Rose did his best to get clear cut answers about what the fuck happened and who and why decided on that 700 billion was the right number for the first bailout money while Bush lite was alerted the economy was going to Hell in a hand basket back in September 2008.
I have to admit the "kid" made a lot of sense, even though he's a product of Wall Street. Cool, clear-headed, smart, and rarely during the pod cast did he NOT give a direct answer to Rose's pointed interrogation. He only declined to answer when his response would have directly maligned a particular lending or insurance institution. He resigned from his post about three weeks ago not because he "couldn't possibly work for Obama", but because he was tired and needs a rest. He seems to be the only guy who knows where all the bones and bodies were and still are buried and was the ONLY continuous thread of intelligence helping Bernanke (sp?) and Geitner(sp?) figure out how to proceed with the first chunk of stimulus billies.
According to this rather bright financial wunderkinder there is a process in place that allows micro economists slaving for the treasury to see where all of the "stimulus" money is being spent. The haughty macro economists can also use the same required reports that were a bit hastily cobbled together for the months of October, November and December of 2008 and which are now smoothly being generated by the treasury as required by law to show what financial institutions are doing and what with the billions they are receiving. So far, there's still 350 of the original 700 billion "earmarked" for distribution. So, I'm thinking that there is a way to chase down at least every Dollar if not every "dime."
You can find the pod cast on Youtube under Charlie Rose or Neer Kashnir. Unlike the tools who post inflammatory tabloid-like "the sky is falling!" posts in these political forums, it's refreshing (though extremely time-consuming) to sit through a 1.5 hour YouTube video of a very bright, intelligent, and more than just "well informed" youngster who was more than happy to continue working on the current economic disaster at the behest of Obama, which included his hiring of several hundred financial experts from the fields of academia, Wall Street, and banks that were and remain solvent without any hand outs from TARP regardless of political agendas. Smart kid. And he's (shhhhhhh) a Republican who is having second thoughts about continuing with that label! Go figure.