Secretary Geithner’s ascendance

After a rocky start in his role as Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner has not only survived but grown in stature, using his newfound influence to push President Obama to focus on curbing the nation’s soaring debt.

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Timothy F. Geithner is the president's closest economic adviser and the last senior member of the White House's original economic team. Here, Geithner testifies about President Obama's 2012 budget request during a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Brendan Smialowski / GETTY IMAGES

Geithner's tenure at the White House got off to a rocky start. In his early days, lawmakers were calling for him to resign and many analysts speculated that he might not last the year.

Chris Rank / BLOOMBERG

Geithner has taken it upon himself to push Obama to go as far as he can to rein in the debt, even as other advisers encouraged the president to focus on unemployment instead. In this photo, Geithner is followed by reporters after meeting with GOP House freshmen about the debt-ceiling debate.

Evan Vucci / AP

Geithner has successfully pressed Obama to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion, though the president ultimately proposed doing it in 12 years rather than 10, as the Treasury secretary wanted.

Joshua Roberts / BLOOMBERG

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's former chief of staff, said of Geithner, "He's a very original thinker. I've seen him contribute to policies like national security, even if it’s not his wheelhouse."

JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

Geithner has been a key voice on U.S. policy toward China, especially on currency issues. Here, Geithner attends the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

JASON REED / REUTERS

"It's been my view for some time that unless he played a major role in shaping and negotiating the broad fiscal framework...we would be left without the capacity to do a whole range of things that are really important," Geithner, 49, said in an interview. "I have been a consistent advocate of him doing that early and often." In May, he visited the Blair House for a meeting with lawmakers on the legislative framework for deficit reduction.

Evan Vucci / AP

Timothy Geithner shares a handshake with former Treasury secretary Henry Paulson. In his previous job as chief of the New York Federal Reserve, Geithner worked closely with Paulson to craft the emergency rescue packages for Wall Street during the financial crisis of 2008.

Joshua Roberts / BLOOMBERG

In this 2010 photo, President Obama walks out of the White House with Geithner, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, OMB Director Peter Orszag, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, White House Council of Economic Advisers chairmwoman Christina Romer and U.S. National Economic Council director Lawrence Summers. With the exception of Solis and Geithner, all the other advisers have left the administration.

Andrew Harrer / BLOOMBERG

Geithner speaks to Politico's Mike Allen at an event at the Newseum in Washington.

MANDEL NGAN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

When Geithner was informed that taxpayers were going to get their investmentin AIG back, and maybe with a profit, Geithner responded, "Get the [expletive] out. I haven't had any good news on AIG."

Andrew Harrer / BLOOMBERG

Geithner chats with Jacob Lew, who replaced Peter Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Andrew Harrer / BLOOMBERG

One White House official said that Obama and Geither are similar in that they both have mellow temperaments. "They don't get worked up when things are going wrong. They don't get worked up if things are going well," the official said.

Mary Altaffer / AP

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