Barack Obama has been forced to defend Mr Geithner against calls for his resignation.
But Mr Geithner will not ask for it until he is sure he needs it.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
On several occasions Mr Obama has been able to explain Treasury plans better than Mr Geithner.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
But, a committed Democrat, Mr Lew is more party political than Mr Geithner ever was.
Once all such devices were exhausted, Mr Geithner warned, the Treasury would have to default on something.
ECONOMIST: Talk of America defaulting on its debt is just that
Mr Geithner speaks quickly, peppering his speeches with jargon that resonates more with economists than with congressmen.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
But markets, like voters, don't have to be right to affect the outcome of Mr Geithner's policies.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
Mr Geithner has spent the past 15 months battling the current crisis, though so far with little success.
Ultimately, Mr Geithner's legacy may be as the man who won the financial crisis but lost the economic recovery.
Mr Geithner sought early on to hold banks accountable for the bail-out money.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
It is better than Mr Geithner's woeful false start in February and may one day even prove to be inspired.
This means that Mr Geithner has had to come up with solutions that may sacrifice economic effect for political legitimacy.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
Mr Geithner learned about crisis management as an aide to Lawrence Summers who rose to Treasury Secretary under Bill Clinton.
Both China and America should use Mr Geithner's three-day visit to set a new tone in which co-operation replaces rhetoric.
One of those is Mr Geithner, who first came to Mr Rubin's attention by contradicting Mr Summers in a staff meeting.
When China said in June that the yuan would be allowed more flexibility, it looked like a victory for Mr Geithner.
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Mr Geithner and the New York Fed have with some success been demanding that the derivatives markets sort out their bureaucracy.
He was always the man judged most likely to get the job, after Mr Geithner signalled his desire to step down.
Mr Geithner looks a lot younger than his 47 years (though not as young as he did before the crisis began).
By contrast, Mr Geithner and Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, think that most American banks are well-capitalised and able to lend.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
Mr Geithner, who was a protege of Bill Clinton's former treasury secretaries Robert Rubin and Larry Summers, worked in the international section.
Mr Geithner says that will happen between March 31st and May 16th.
ECONOMIST: Talk of America defaulting on its debt is just that
Mr Geithner presented a comprehensive explanation of the causes of the crisis, his response, the state of the economy and regulatory reform.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
Although Mr Geithner did not commit himself to any specific action, the use of the m-word suggests Team Obama will take a tougher line.
The Japanese finance minister Jun Azumi, assured Mr Geithner during his visit to Tokyo last week, that it will reduce oil imports from Iran.
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Mr Geithner's hosts should make it clear that even if the dollar continues its slide against other currencies, the yuan will not follow suit.
Mr Summers and Mr Geithner were deeply involved in dealing with the disasters that befell Mexico, East Asia, Russia and Latin America during that time.
Mr Geithner's analysis will be unprecedented as well in its bluntness.
Mr Geithner understands better than almost anyone that in crises you throw out the forecast and focus on avoiding low probability events with catastrophic consequences.
On the other hand, if the programmes work and today's green shoots become a full recovery, Mr Geithner will get a lot of the credit.
ECONOMIST: The treasury secretary is torn between politics and policy
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