This morning’s dueling profiles of recently anointed car czar Steven Rattner both praise the former investment banker’s business acumen and “broad blend of skills.” They also both address his ambition, with the Times noting that Rattner’s friends say he “aspires to a cabinet post like Treasury secretary,” and “if he succeeds, he may get a chance at a larger job in the administration.” But this is a long way off, the Journal subtly indicates.
At the moment, it says, Rattner
occupies a spacious office in the basement of the Treasury. Out one window, through the thick security bars, he can see Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s car, and a portion of the White House.
Everyone has to start at the bottom, we guess. If Rattner fixes the auto industry, maybe they’ll move him upstairs to the part of the building that has running water and flush toilets!
Rattner Rises as Obama’s Mr. Fix-It [WSJ]
Obama’s Top Auto Industry Troubleshooter [NYT]
