I agree with count of monte cristo, but not in as cavalier a way.
I don't think that they "deserve" any bonuses, I just know that without them they would walk and we'd be worse off.
The govt is trying to wind AIG down and sell off the pieces. In order to do that you need qualified people there, people who know what's going on and who know where all the bodies are buried.
So you're asking people, highly educated and qualified people, to continue working for a company that they know won't exist very soon, instead of leaving and finding another job ASAP.
The only way to get them to stay is with these "retention bonuses"
If they all walk, and AIG goes bankrupt, it'll be Lehman Bros all over again, but at a multiple of at least 3, if not a multiple of 10.
You can either eat a shit sandwich, or swim in a shit tidal wave.
