The white hot anger directed at AIG and its bonus-laden execs is not likely to cool any time soon. It has burned an image into the national consciousness.

But AIG isn't the first to run afoul when taking taxpayer money. At a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) noted Northern Trust Corporation's lavish spending on a now-notorious PGA golf tournament.

“When you took taxpayer money, you moved into a fishbowl,” he said. “Everyone is ...