Every time a big name Goldman Sachs alum lands a big job, the media trots out stories about how the gilded firm's influence stretches deep into government and Wall Street. The list of Cabinet-level and New Jersey state alums is well-known. When it comes to top Wall Street firms, the legacy of Goldman Sachs is evident at Citigroup (Robert Rubin) and now Merrill Lynch. The New York Times notes there's also a cadre of hedge funds stars that cut their teeth at Goldman (Eric Mindich and Daniel Och, Edward Lampert). So it is something of a cliché to say that the firm has a mystique. Still, behind such clichés are kernels of truth. In this current credit crisis, it's fair to say that the legend has grown. For the moment, it has truly separated itself.  

For more:
- here's the New York Times article [1]

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