Obama's Controversial Surgeon General Pick

The revolving door that is endemic to Washington, DC seems to be expanding to include folks in the media.

Recall that both Presidents Bush brought veteran broadcast (PBS, FOX) journalist Tony Snow into the White House. Snow served the first Bush as chief speechwriter and as deputy assistant to the President for media affairs. From May 2006 to September 2007, Snow was press secretary for the current President Bush.

Now Barack Obama wants CNN health specialist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, 39, to be Surgeon General, making him the nation's chief spokesperson on matters of public health.

But Gupta, like Snow, has previously worked inside the Beltway. In 1997, he was a White House Fellow and he was a "special advisor to first lady Hillary Clinton," according to his CNN profile. One assumes this was during her ill-fated attempt to reform the nation's health care system. Gupta is also a professor at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital, both in Atlanta.

Should Obama nominate Gupta to be surgeon general, the nomination would reflect the sort of celebrity-status afforded the president-elect during his campaign: in 2003, People magazine put Gupta on its "Sexiest Men Alive" list and and USA Today named him a "pop culture icon."

Controversies Galore
Dana Blankenhorn at ZD.net notes that Gupta's possible nomination is a mixed bag. "Liberals cite his on-air argument with Michael Moore over the movie Sicko, conservatives his support for an obesity tax, and natural medicine advocates his ties to big pharma."

According to the New York Times (emphasis added):

Dr. Gupta presides over a small media empire that, in addition to his regular work on CNN, includes appearances on the “CBS Evening News” and columns in Time magazine. His first book, about the search for immortality, was published in 2007. He is paid for speaking engagements, a controversial practice for a journalist. The All American Talent and Celebrity Network lists his speaking fees as $30,001 to $50,000.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution took a more laudatory approach in reporting on the possible nomination:

“There’s no one in the United States better at communicating many complex health issues to the community than Dr. Gupta,” said Dr. James Curran, dean of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Some folks at the Weekly Standard love the idea of having "America's most telegenic, Indian-American neurosurgeon/family man/anchorman" serve as Surgeon General. Paul Krugman at the NYT takes a curmudgeonly approach to the pick.

Andrea Santiago, About.com Guide to Health Careers, asks, Is Dr. Sanjay Gupta Qualified for the Surgeon General Job?

What do you think? Thumbs up or down?

Learn more: What Is The Office of the Surgeon General?