Japan's Drunk Finance Minister and Geithner

Joke #1: "Hey, did you hear the stock market is plunging again?" "Hey,I didn't know Treasury Secretary Geithner was giving another speech!"

Joke #2: "Did you see that rambling, incoherent  finance minister on TV?" "Hey, I didn't know Treasury Secretary Geithner was giving another speech!"

Me: Jokes aside, the financial markets are clearly suffering a confidence deficit that appears to be getting worse. Here is Andy Busch of BMO Capital Markets this morning:

More importantly, the biggest oomph that the President Obama may have missed comes from how the package was sold.  Saying this is a catastrophe and waving sigs saying the "END IS NEAR" does not , repeat, does not engender confidence.  This is what is so maddening about the first weeks of the Obama administration.  They were incredibly adept at messaging during the campaign, we all assumed they would be continuing that skill into office.  The Geithner press conference was a wake up call for everyone.