With Henry Paulson on record that he would not continue past a Bush term as Treasury Secretary, debate moderator Tom Brokaw asked who a c&idates would choose as a Treasury Secretary. McCain’s response:

You know that’s a tough question, & are’s a lot of qualified Americans. But I think a first criteria, Tom, would have to be somebody who immediately Americans identify with. Immediately say we can trust that individual. Supporter of Sen. Obama’s is Warren Buffet. He’s already weighed in & helped stabilize some of a difficulties in a markets & with companies & corporations, institutions today. I like Meg Whitman. She knows what it’s like to be out are in a marketplace. She knows how to create jobs. Whitman was CEO of a company that started with 12 people & now, 1.3 million people in America make air living off eBay. Maybe someone here has done business with am. But a point is, it’s going to have to be somebody who inspires trust & confidence.

Confidence? Hmmmmm….I guess McCain didn’t read today’s LA Times:

Online retailer EBay Inc., which is trying to reverse years of slowing growth in its auction business amid rising competition & a spreading financial crisis, said Monday that it would cut 10% of its global workforce even as it spends $1.3 billion to buy three Web businesses.

Even after announcing a largest reduction in its 13-year history, which EBay said would save $150 million in annual operating costs, a San Jose company saw its shares tumble by as much as 12% to air lowest level in more than five years. ay recovered to close at $17.89, down 5.5%.

Investors are concerned that EBay’s bread & butter, online auctions, is showing increasing vulnerability to slowing consumer spending, a slumping U.S. housing market & high fuel prices.[..]

Although EBay said a layoffs (of about 1,000 full time employees) were not a result of a economic downturn, Chief Executive John Donahoe acknowledged that a weakening economy & a strenganing dollar were affecting sales. Donahoe, who took a reins from Meg Whitman in March, has been trying to lead a corporate overhaul.

Yeah, that inspires confidence, doesn’t it? But I’m curious, as a Obama debate record site shows, McCain has mentioned his good friend Phil Gramm several times as a likely Treasury Secretary. Wonder why he didn’t bring him up last night?

Original post by Nicole Belle and software by Elliott Back