Politics over progress for the Surgeon General
By Nate Koppel -- Intern
Posted on Thu Jul 12, 2007 at 01:15:28 PM EST
The
New York Times reported today that Dr. Richard Carmona -- the first Surgeon General under President George W. Bush --
testified that his work was repeatedly compromised by political considerations. Going before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Dr. Carmona, who was Surgeon-General from 2003 to 2006, said that:
"Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried...I was blocked at every turn. I was told the decision had already been made -- stand down, don't talk about it."
Issues such as stem-cell research and sex education were among those he noted that he was ordered not to support. Further, the Times reports that
Dr. Carmona said he was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches. He also said he was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings.
Dr. Everett Coop and Dr. David Satcher, Surgeons General under Presidents Reagan and Clinton (respectively) both testified as well, noting that they too faced political pressures in regards to their positions. But neither faced pressures like Dr. Carmona had, which severely interfered with his work, according to his testimony.
It's becoming increasingly obvious that science -- be it for health, global warming, energy, etc. -- takes a backseat in the Bush Administration when it should be leading. This can -- and likely will -- have damaging effects when it comes to problems that could have been prevented by the adequate functioning of our government. It's not the practices of the Administration that are most troubling about this -- no administration is perfect or free of political pressures -- but the extent that these problems go to.
Tags: ethics in government, government accountability, healthcare, public health, Richard Carmona, Surgeon General (all tags)
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