He ends with what it seems like what could actually happen, unlike rampant law-shredding:

Mr. Cuomo wants to know who A.I.G.’s lucky employees are, and how they have been doing at their jobs. So here is a suggestion for him. Get the list, and give those big earners at A.I.G. a not-so-subtle nudge: Perhaps they will “volunteer” to give some of their bonuses back or watch their names hit the newspapers.

That was a lot of rigamarole to get to some common sense.

ADDING: I mean, a Wall Street Journal editorial board member poked his head outside the bubble last night on Fox.

Stephen Moore, admittedly last seen going all militia on us, was out for corporate blood:

Now, your question, can we do anything about it? Sure. The government, I think, has the authority to step in and stop — stop these contracts. I mean, how in the world can you pay people a performance bonus when you lose $160 billion? That’s the question nobody at AIG can answer.

Oh the times, they are a-changin’.

ALSO: Here’s my follow-up post on Sorkin and union contracts.

Ryan Chittum , a former Wall Street Journal reporter, is deputy editor of The Audit, CJR's business section. If you see notable business journalism, give him a heads-up at rc2538@columbia.edu.