A few weeks ago I read Naomi Klein's "This Changes Everything." She specifically mentions how the bailout - after the 2008 crash - was a missed opportunity; that WS' behavior could been nudged or more. Given what was at risk, it's difficult to disagree.
The The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is another insightful book of hers, I highly recommend it, it was written in 2008 as the financial crisis happened: https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitali...