Jack Lew being Jack Lew, he didn’t leave Citi for a mid-level government position, or a low-level government position, or even a part-time high-level government position. No, he landed the aforementioned full-time high-level position. He became deputy secretary of state, on his way to resuming his duties at OMB, then becoming chief of staff to the president, and now secretary of the treasury. And, of course, he always got paid.
The cynics talk of crony capitalism. The scoffers hint of special favors for the politically connected. The good-government types worry about the unseemliness of a too-big-to-fail Wall Street bank’s giving one of its executives an incentive to become a high-ranking government official. Maybe they should all give it a rest and simply stand back and marvel at the moneymaking machine that is Jack Lew. Lesser mortals criticize and cavil. He gets paid.
via The Talented Mr. Lew – Rich Lowry – National Review Online.