Members of Congress reacted with fury this week as news leaked out that just two weeks after the feds gave an $85 billion rescue loan to American International Group, employees for the insurance giant are conferencing at one of the swankiest resorts in California. The executives of subsidiary AIG American General gathered at the five-star St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. Ocean-view rooms start at $565 a night.

The story was broken by the activist group Outraged Taxpayer and now AIG is in full-scale damage control mode. The company tells the Orange County Register that plans for the high falutin' event were made months before AIG's stock plummeted and tax dollars were pumped in to save the company. AIG also says the hard-partying subsidiary "is fully capitalized."

The incident can only further infuriate voters who suspect that Congress is bailing out Wall Street fat cats. The watchdog group discovered that the executives were dining in a luxurious setting for a gourmet meal with gold tablecloths and fine crystal goblets. The news isn't likely to sit well with AIG shareholders, many of whom lost life savings due to the company's meltdown last month.

Chris Kinnan, a political analyst at Washington-based Freedom Works, fumed: "I wonder if we can get some of these Senators to take their vote back," referring to the Senate vote in favor of the $700 billion Paulson Plan on Wednesday.

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