Sanjay Gupta to be Surgeon General.
Now this is an interesting appointment. In the Bush Administration, this post was nearly invisible. Probably because Republicans do not care about your health, or at the very least, they do not care to have the government care about your health. Appointing a well known and visible doctor to this post indicates that Obama will be ending that invisibility. I think we can assume that Gupta will be proactive.
Reading that linked to article, I have to say it sounds like a great pick.
Wow! That is interesting. Can we expect the SG communicate with the people a lot?
It is an inspired choice. Telegenic, thoughtful and smart. Sounds like Obama.
Anderson Cooper for Press Secretary!!!
Better yet, Blowhard Chris Matthews. At least the press events would be a hell of a lot more interesting.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Gupta will be the first non US Naval officer as SG of US since Reagan’s first one, Brandt…
I actually don’t like that I know this…
Dude…that’s too geeky, enough to change LG’s name to simply L. He pales next to you.
I really like this choice. Gupta, besides being smart, is a great personality. People tend to listen to people they like… and think they know.
I’m not sure about Sanjay – he always came off to me as homophobic.
I’m with you Rob. He has prestige from his teevee performances, but what else do we know about him.
I’ll wager that you have seen more of him than any other SG nominee in the history of the position.
Koop was quite pronounced.
Dang. If Obama is going this route, I wish he had picked Dr. Oz. He’s the best!
El Somnambulo likes the appointment b/c he sees the Surgeon-General job primarily as pushing healthy lifestyles for the American people.
Koop used his office to convince people to stop smoking and to show how it could be done.
The Gupta appointment makes so much sense that El Somnambulo is surprised that this route hasn’t been taken before. Although, if Obama wanted to quell concerns about homophobia, he might well have chosen–Richard Simmons. He must have an honorary doctorate from somewhere, perhaps Spandex University.
“He has prestige from his teevee performances, but what else do we know about him.”
He is a brilliant neurosurgeon. Got his degree from University of Michigan. He is a great pick. He will do a great deal to bring the office of the Surgeon General back to the prominence and powwer that it deserves. Koop was wonderful–spoke out truthfully about AIDS. Fought against powerful smoking lobbies.
Give examples of Gupta’s homophobic comments or postions. If this were true, my suport level would change dramatically.
Hi Jen, can’t really put my finger on it but one night he was talking about AIDS/HIV and appeared to be putting the onus on the spread of the disease through gay men and blaming them for the continued spread of the diseases. I don’t know maybe we could check with Anderson Cooper and see what he has to say about Sanjay.
But in the meantime I sticking with my instincts Sanjay comes off as homophobic. I’ll send him an email and ask him flat out.
Okay Jen, I just sent off an email to cnn, hoping that it will reach Sanjay. I expressed my feelings as to why I thought he was homophobic and asked him to respond as to wether my doubts about him were true or false. If he ever gets back to me I’ll post them on the site.
Dorian,
You’re wrong. Jocelyn Elders served in the Army, not the Navy.
You may also be confusing the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Corps with the Navy. Officers there hold naval-style ranks.
I like the appointment of Leon Panetta for CIA. He will end the torture horror, and unpolitize the CIA, which Bush and Cheny did in their cherry picking of intell. It would a wonderful thing if Eric Holder the new AG would actually put Tenet under oath, give him immunity to rat out Cheney and Bush. Now that would make a very happy woman.
Dr. Liberal is sulking.
Thanks, anon. I just looked it up for myself. Elders was listed as a “vice admiral” but in the Army not the Navy. I stand corrected.
But I did see that Gupta will be the first civilian since Brandt – no military service. Although I heard on NPR this morning that Gupta did perform emergency neurosurgery on an Iraqi boy in Southern Iraq… so he has performed some war-time heroics!