Political Appointments

Though he was a prodigy in the world of economics, Timothy F. Geithner underwent an IRS audit in 2006 and ended up paying back taxes for a mistake in two years' worth of filings. That was embarrassing enough. But just as he was about to be named to head the Treasury Department, a more awkward fact came to light: Geithner had made the same error in two earlier tax years and failed to fix it even after the audit.

As Eric H. Holder Jr. gears up to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee today for his confirmation as attorney general, some Republicans say they will question him aggressively about whether his ties to Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich are more extensive than Holder has acknowledged.

The numerous errors on Timothy F. Geithner's income tax returns had tax accountants debating Wednesday whether the missteps were innocent, cheating or simply the result of the overly complicated tax code. Geithner's political fate -- he is President-elect Barack Obama's choice as Treasury secretary, putting him in charge of the IRS -- lies in balance. But it's not an easy call. Tax experts said that the issues that tripped up Geithner were complex enough to befuddle many taxpayers.

President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for attorney general was described on Day Two of his confirmation hearings Friday both as a man of great principle and independence and as a lawman unworthy of the nation's top law enforcement job because he was soft on Puerto Rican nationalists. Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, two witnesses sharply criticized Eric H. Holder Jr.

As Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger orders steep salary cuts for most of the state workforce, some Sacramento players are doing much better by him. The governor has added state legislators and former political aides to the state payroll, with six-figure salaries. Their positions: plum posts on the same state boards and commissions that the governor crusaded to abolish a few years ago, calling them a waste of taxpayer money.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) has been named chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee, taking over at a crucial time for the nation and further increasing California's clout in Washington. A pledge by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) to "drain the swamp" -- referring to a culture of corruption that many said had permeated Republican-controlled Washington -- helped Democrats win control of the House in 2006.

The Senate overwhelmingly approved the nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton as President Obama's secretary of State on Wednesday, after a one-day delay forced by Republicans who wanted to continue debating her husband's overseas fundraising activities. The delay had the effect of denying Clinton a confirmation vote on Inauguration Day, when six other Cabinet members were approved. But Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who sought the delay, praised Clinton's abilities Wednesday and voted in favor.

A day after President Obama issued tough new ethics rules for administration employees, a key lawmaker raised questions about his nomination of a lobbyist to the No. 2 position at the Pentagon. William Lynn III, the top lobbyist for Raytheon Co., was chosen by Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the position of deputy secretary of Defense. The new ethics rules banned lobbyists from serving in the administration.

During a grinding 18-month stretch in the 1990s, U.S. envoy George J. Mitchell crossed the Atlantic more than 100 times in a dogged search for peace between Northern Ireland's Protestants and Catholics. Even though he is a Catholic, Mitchell convinced Protestant Unionists of his evenhandedness, eventually reaching the Good Friday agreement in 1998 to help settle the 800-year dispute. "He's got this incredible patience to sit there until the deal is done," said Ross K.

Harvard Law School professor Cass R. Sunstein, a widely admired intellectual and friend of President Obama, has spent years delving into the obscure issues of regulatory law and behavioral economics. Though he is generally described as left of center, Sunstein's academic interests in regulation have led him to raise questions about the constitutionality of liberal favorites such as workplace safety laws and the Clean Air Act.