Obama picks Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General

[Pangloss]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2009/01/06/obama_wants_journalist_for_sur.html?hpid=topnews

 

Interesting choice. Gupta hosts a health program on CNN and is a frequent guest all over that network. The media is reporting it as the selection of a journalist for the job, which certainly had to be a major influence on the decision, but he certainly has his bona fides as well.

 

Politically speaking, the most interesting aspect of the choice is that it will tick off some on the far left. It was Gupta who attacked Michael Moore over inaccuracies in Sicko, and CNN defended him right down the line, to the complete consternation of sickophantic Moorophites everywhere.

 

(Queue Montgomery Burns voice.) Excellent.

[ecoli]

Seems like a decent choice... as a journalist he should do well communicating with the public.

[DJBruce]

I like the pick ecspecailly because he is from Michigan.

[Sisyphus]

Seems like a very good pick based on the few bios I've read, though I've actually never heard of him before this announcement, dashing celebrity though he may be. I'd like to see a poll on what other doctors think of him.

[john5746]

Sounds good. Seems like this position has been hiding in the corner of late, or maybe its just me. Hopefully they will put his talents to good use, otherwise, he might be more effective at CNN.

[DrDNA]

Any choice besides Joslin Elders is a great pick......

 

"Well, we are all going to die of something"

Part of Dr Elders testimony to the Senate about health care.

[iNow]

Any choice besides Joslin Elders is a great pick......

 

"Well, we are all going to die of something"

Part of Dr Elders testimony to the Senate about health care.

 

You know, the only sources where I could find for this quote are attack sites, nearly all of which quote only the last few lines in the course of vilifying Elders.

 

Please cite exactly where Jocelyn Elders said this. If this is testimony to the Senate, it shouldn't be hard for you to find the transcript so we can view it in context.

 

Not even wikiquote would allow it. Chances are good this is yet another one of those neo-con myths that is not based in reality. I beg you to please prove me wrong or admit that you cannot.

 

 

The below was taken from dication of a Rush Limbaugh clip, but is the best we've seen, and not saying what you asserted.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Joycelyn_Elders

We know that AIDS is a ravaged disease in our country that's destroying our bright young people. We've not found the cure for this disease. We do not have a vaccine for this disease. The only thing we've got is education and to try and treat them as best we can. I feel that if we do not find a vaccine, do not find a new drug, and we do not educate our bright, young people, Senator, we're going to lose our entire society.

You know, most of the people that die with heart disease and cancer are our elderly population, you know, and we all will probably die with something sooner or later. And we've been investing, certainly in cancer and in heart disease, and I feel that we should continue, I'm not downplaying that. But I'm saying that we are losing the people that's going to pay my Social Security and that bothers me.