Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Surgeon General Sanjay Gupta (Oh, Hell Yes!)?



How genius is this? And, no, it is not like appointing "Dr. House" to a major policy position. Surgeon General is above all a PR job advocating for the nation's health. Who else would be better than the man with the highest Q-ratings (And did we mention he is a neurosurgeon, a former White House Fellow who dealt with policy and a print and television journo?). From WashPo's Howie Kurtz:

"President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.

"... Gupta has told administration officials that he wants the job, and the final vetting process is under way. He has asked for a few days to figure out the financial and logistical details of moving his family from Atlanta to Washington but is expected to accept the offer.

"The Michigan-born son of Indian and Pakistani parents, Gupta has always been drawn to health policy. He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for Hillary Clinton. His appointment would give the administration a prominent official of Southwest Asian descent and a skilled television spokesman."


More here.

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