Another one in trouble

2009 is not Obama's year so far. First it was the Blago fiasco and Roland Burris, then it was Bill Richardson withdrawing himself from the commerce secretary position after allegations of federal pay-to-play scandals and a pending FBI investigation, then it was his stimulus bill facing a lukewarm reaction from congress, and now it's Timothy Geithner, Obama's selection for Treasury Secretary, who the Wall Street Journal reports is facing allegations for not paying payroll taxes and having a housekeeper who's permit to work in the US expired before Geithner let her go.
Ouch.
Obama's selection of Timothy Geithner as his Secretary Of The Treasury was one of his earliest, and seen as most important, picks. It reassured Wall Street and was met with praise on both sides of the aisle, it was actually Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton, and another on the short list for the post that was seen as a more polarizing figure.
It goes without saying that having a Treasury Secretary that failed to pay taxes could lead for a rough confirmation process and would give Republicans, as well as the media, a reason to howl, and would continue to give leverage to a storyline that has been developing recently that says Obama and his team may run a fancy campaign, but his transition has been less than smart at times and downright embarrassing at others. (To be fair the transition has been MOSTLY smooth, but these things that keep happening are not flattering.)
The Obama team did not throw Geithner under the bus and released this statement of support through incoming press secretary Robert Gibbs:

"The President-elect chose Tim Geithner to be his Treasury Secretary because he's the right person to help lead our economic recovery during these challenging times He's dedicated his career to our country and served with honor, intelligence and distinction. That service should not be tarnished by honest mistakes, which, upon learning of them, he quickly addressed. He made a common mistake on his taxes, and was unaware that his part-time housekeeper's work authorization expired for the last three months of her employment. We hope that the Senate will confirm him with strong bipartisan support so that he can begin the important work of the country.”

If the beginning of 2009 is any indication as to what Obama will face this year, then it might be a pretty uphill climb from here on out.