AIG came under scrutiny after news spread that it was hosting a $440,000 retreat in Monarch Beach, CA, just days after asking the government for $85 billion. Similarly, struggling Wachovia, which was in the middle of being bought by Wells Fargo, was also planning an event: A Greek Isles cruise for employees of its brokerage firm A.G. Edwards.
While much of the country was focused on the spreading financial crisis, a backlash to the companies' seeming profligacy ensued. Presidential nominee Sen. ...