Ken Lewis was too tuckered out and, frankly, has way too much paperwork to sort out before he can begin properly celebrating his retirement from Bank of America. But one person who didn't waste any time getting the party started was John Thain, the Merrill Lynch executive Lewis ousted soon after BofA took over the firm last year.

Sources told The Post that the former Merrill Lynch boss spent yesterday quietly celebrating the resignation of Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis and hopes Lewis' downfall might help Thain repair his damaged reputation on Wall Street.

By "quietly," we assume they're not referring to the actual noise level as strains of "I Will Survive" and "I'm Still Standing" could be heard reverberating down the corridors of the former New York Stock Exchange head's apartment building for hours after the news was announced.

Folks were cracking the bubbly inside Bank of America, too, it seems, as one "top BofA official" felt loose enough to disclose to the Post that Lewis was

"a combative mother****** with a chip on his shoulder [who] not only looked for a fight but also relished it."

Then again, it's entirely possible he meant that as a compliment.

Revenge of Thain [NYP]
Earlier: John Thain: What Ken Lewis Did Was Very Uncool