Staffing Treasury

The delays in staffing the Treasury at a moment like this are simply incomprehensible to me. Geithner just lost two critical appointments who have withdrawn. Apparently, the pace of appointments is not particularly slow:

Treasury spokesman Isaac Baker declined to comment on specific nominations, but said the department was still ahead of recent previous administrations in filling jobs, with over 50 political appointees at work.

It's March and we are in the sharpest downturn since the 1930s. They really can't go any faster?

Geithner:

"We hope to come before the committee soon with a full slate of very strong people. We're doing this carefully, as you would expect, to try to make sure we have the best talent in the country," he said.

I sigh the sigh of Kif. Meanwhile, the Republicans aren't helping. Are they really preventing Austan Goolsbee and Cecilia Rouse from even informally advising the president on economics?

Goolsbee and Rouse appeared before the Senate Banking Committee on Jan. 15 and were slated for a full Senate confirmation on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, according to a senior administration official. Instead, they were approved by the panel Feb. 10.           

Apparently some tit-for-tat. As Josh says, grow up.