and nice too

Noam Scheiber gives a bit more background on the appointment of Tim Geithner to what is arguably the second most important post in America right now. Turns out he was well-liked by colleagues during his previous time at the Treasury, especially those lower down than him in the pecking order - always a good sign.

At meetings with subordinates, he'd rarely sit at the head of the table. In fact, he'd rarely sit at all, preferring to pace around the room prompting people for input. When he briefed a higher-up, Geithner's habit was to bring along the bureaucrat who'd worked with him on the issue. ...

Within the building, Geithner became legendary for his self-deprecating humor. Shortly after taking over at Treasury in 1995, Rubin convened a meeting with his senior officials and asked them to introduce themselves, prompting an arms race of resume embellishment. Finally, it was Geithner's turn. "Well, I've mostly been in high school," he cracked. Everyone doubled over in laughter.