Unfortunately, the initial stimulus package was a bit rushed, and that's not necessarily a criticism. The Dow was in freefall, everything was hitting the fan at once (Bear Sterns, Wachovia, WaMu, Citi, AIG) and the government was looking to instill confidence in their ability to handle a crisis.
I'm not saying the the bailout was necessarily the wrong move -- if the government not intervened, AIG would cease to exist, and several of its counterparties would have gone down too, and probably several of their counterparties, and more and more and more. In light of that the bonuses are trivial.
Just that if the government is going to hold an 80% stake in AIG they should have much better oversight in place to oversee how company is going to spend the money.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it"
