Isn't it sad that Hank Paulson is a household name?

Back in 2003, a friend said to me, "isn't it sad that we all know who Donald Rumsfeld is?"

"Bizarre," I thought.  Why is it sad that we know who the Secretary of Defense is?

Well, the point was that my group of friends, while intelligent and educated, did not follow most of politics closely.  So, the fact that we all knew Donald Rumsfeld was seen as a sad state of the political environment.

Case in point... 

Quick, name the three men who served as Secretary of Defense under Clinton!

Very few of you were able to rattle them off.

And now Hank Paulson is a household name.  Quick, name the three Secretaries of Treasury under Clinton!

Comments

[rhbee]

Apt but true about most of us and most of them. On the other hand, I guess Obama is getting set to make it, by enlisting so many Clintonistas, so we won't know his Secretary of the Treasury either.

[Chris R]

I never really thought about things like that. Hopefully we won't find out the name of the Disease Czar anytime soon. (I made that title up)

[personal finance deals]

Due to the economic times and environment crisis, I'm trying to conserve more energy. I used to always keep electronic things on all the time! I'm trying to change. What are some of the common household items that people usually always keep on despite the fact they take up loads of energy? What should I always make sure to turn off?

[Stephanie]

I disagree. He is not a household name, he is only a household name in the United States. No one else in the world knows who he is or pays much attention to American politics. (I mean this in a nice tone please don't be offended)