No conflict of interest there. Mr. Geithner’s pick, Mark Patterson, just left Goldman in April. I had hoped for a more unbiased team from Mr. Obama. But this seems like a blatant departure from his pledge to exclude lobbyists from areas where they would be biased. Excerpt:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said President Obama was retreating from his own ethics rules barring lobbyists from working on the issues they lobbied about during the previous two years. “It makes it appear that they are saying one thing and doing another,” she said.

Goldman Sachs is up 13% today. Let’s keep that revolving door moving.