I actually heard Rachel Maddow bring this up on her show this evening. Then I read about it in the Center for Media and Democracy’s email newsletter. AIG is on its fourth tax payer bailout and has retained the services of four PR corporations. This is rather pathetic because while they say they need the bailout money to function, they can still afford to pay these PR people.

While bailout recipients have been criticized for planning lavish retreats (which AIG has done repeatedly), using private jets and retaining lobbying firms, "some taxpayers and members of Congress could view public relations as unnecessary expenses," warns the New York Times. AIG "may legitimately need help talking to the crowds of journalists, regulators, legislators and investors," but the insurance giant has "given little clarity on taxpayer losses to date, or provided much communication directed towards taxpayers at all."

Then there’s the issue about one of the PR groups AIG has hired, Burson-Marsteller, where Maddow actually brought out the truth on who they represent on a previous show.

Let’s see representing corporations like Blackwater, Union Carbide (Bhopal disaster), and Phillip Morris can’t be good. Looks like bad PR for the PR flacks. “When evil needs public relations, evil has Burson-Marsteller on speed dial.” Rachel Maddow goes on to say “that’s why its so creepy that Hillary Clinton’s pollster and chief strategist in her presidential campaign was Mark Penn.” He’s the CEO of Burson-Marsteller.