Now that CNN correspondent and neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta has withdrawn as a candidate to be the next Surgeon General of the United States, the rumor mills have spread the idea that Dr. Howard Dean, former Governor of Vermont, candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2004, Democratic National Committee Chair from 2005-2008, and a medical doctor, is a front runner for the position.
Everyone can admit that Dean played a major role in the revival of the Democratic party after the loss in 2004. Everyone can concede that he added color and excitement to the 2004 Democratic Presidential race by his candidacy. Everyone can acknowledge that he is a man of strong convictions and beliefs.
Having said that, it must be said that Dean harmed his own self image by his shrieking public display of enthusiasm after primary results came in from Iowa, and that his outspokenness alienated many Americans who came to see him as radical and overly controversial. He made many enemies within the Democratic party.
It was surprising that Dean was not offered a position with Obama before this, but it might be because of his stormy public image and tendency to shoot from the hip. It must be said that while he is certainly qualified to be Surgeon General on paper, that it is predictable that his proposed nomination will cause a storm of opposition from the Republican minority in the Senate and may also alienate moderate Democrats. The question is whether Obama is prepared to back a controversial nominee in the midst of so many other issues that are all on his plate at the same time. Dean comes across as almost "too political" to be Surgeon General, so I would hope that this proposed nomination not be followed through on, and that the President finds a less controversial choice to be the next Surgeon General.
What do you think about Oprah’s Dr. for S.G.? He fits the profile of a publicly known doctor with good communication skills. I don’t watch Oprah so I have no idea if he supports universal health care, but based on the company he keeps, I assume he does.
At least Gupta, who sounds like a conservative, won’t have the job. Anybody who criticizes Michael Moore doesn’t deserve a spot in the Obama administration. We must also thank Dean for engineering Obama’s nomination and robbing Hillary of the presidency.