It sure was clever of GLG Partners' to get Man Group to pay $1.6 billion for the pleasure of being conquered from within.

Earlier today, it was reported that Timothy P. Geithner has informed people that he "plans to leave the administration by the end of January, even if President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans haven’t reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling." Will this actually happen? Those unfamiliar with the Treasury Secretary's attempts to leave his post in the past will say yes. He's leaving, ship-shape. Those who've watched TPG try and fail to bust out of Washington for the last nineteen months, however, know better. More than likely, he's not going anywhere and it's not because deep down inside he doesn't actually want to go home but because his bosses won't let him. Witness, if you will, a small sampling of examples in which his requests have been denied, either directly (via someone laughing in his face) or indirectly (by giving those who've applied to replace him the wrong directions to their interview):

GLG founder Pierre Lagrange is mates with Brad PItt, an executive producer on Nicholas Cage’s new flick “Kick Ass” and he’s got rockstar locks of hair. But that kind of flamboyance may not fit hand in glove with the button-down culture of GLG’s new owner, Man Group.

GLG Partners has completed its takeover of the Man Group from within, two years after Man paid $1.6 billion for the pleasure of sinking into irrelevance.