Timmy Geithner needs some help

As someone who knows first hand, the name "Timmy" can have an uncomfortable connotation for its owner, in large part (for me at least) due to another Timmy being rescued on many occasions by a very smart collie in the popular 1950s TV series Lassie.

[Note: According to IMDB, though it has been spoofed many times, "the one situation that Timmy never needed saving from in the entire history of the show was falling down a well."]

A search of "Timmy Geithner" is loaded with references to such popular websites as iTulip, the Implode-O-Meter, Paul Farrell at MarketWatch, and elsewhere with commentary that is anything but flattering, though, as yet, there is no mention of a well.

The way things have been going for the new U.S. Treasury Secretary, now only six weeks into his new job in Washington, don't look for the situation to improve anytime soon - either with the economy or with his reviews.

That point was made rather clear in this trio of reports at Yahoo! Finance earlier today:
Presumably, this none-too-flattering image is just a stock photo that is summoned when the Treasury Secretary is the subject of a report, both of these from the French AFP, but it sure does seem like they're piling on a bit, especially in that last story.

Of course, as the former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York when all the seeds of the current crisis were being sown a few years ago, maybe he isn't very deserving of any sympathy these days despite the appearance of being overwhelmed by it all.

Who knows.

By the looks of that first report, there is some help on the way, but will it make any difference?

If only Lassie were around to rescue Timmy this time.

ooo

This week's cartoon from The Economist: