Mr Reich's battle with the inscrutable Japanese president of the Bridgestone tyre company, whom he is trying to nail for safety infractions, is nothing compared to his struggles with Lloyd Bentsen and then Bob Rubin at the Treasury.

ECONOMIST: American politics

"A lot of people are still under the impression that distressed assets are what auctions are most appropriate for, and that's not true, " said Stacy Kirk Reich, president of Grand Estates Auction Company, which oversaw the sale of the property.

WSJ: The House of The Year

Otto Reich -- President Bush's nominee to be Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere -- still can't get a hearing in Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd's subcommittee.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Appoint Otto Reich