Well, duh. Bush hates facts.
“Anything that doesn’t fit into the political appointees’ ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried,” Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the nation’s top doctor from 2002 until 2006, told a House of Representatives committee.
“The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political party,” Carmona added.
Bush and his ilk must think that all they have to do is deny everything about every problem facing this nation until they are no longer responsible for it. The sad problem with health care is that the GOP doesn’t give a shit about the average joe as long as they can be distracted by red-herring arguments and Democrats have no spine to do anything about it or clue for a plan on how to fix it.
one of these days I will actually be surprised … and I will be so very glad.
Expecting a cabinet member to implement the President’s policy. What a surprise.
I’m aware that according to this blog, Democrats are sainted beings with gossamer wings and Republicans are simply trolls, but the Clinton admin. was faulted as well in this report.
does anyone even listen to the Surgeon General anymore? I haven’t since Joycelyn Elders took the post and made those contraversial remarks during the Clinton era…
What a droll crew?
Perish the thought an advisor – for a cabinet member is not in place to be a plastic mirror – should feel a responsibility to offer up informed thought to an ethical and intellectual cretin.
Fortunately, the majority of commenters I’ve seen grow in numbers around this blog have the sense and independence to ground their opinions in some knowledge of history and science – regardless of the few diminutive (and diminishing) drones who still believe that all life rests within the pallid confines of Republican vs. Democrat.
And I hope that stiffler was pushing the sarcasm button when calling Elders’ remarks controversial. Controversy? Only to the hypocrites and Philistines who make their living strutting about the American political stage. Oh yeah, masturbation is really too “far out”, man.
2–Gee Mike, Surg Gen is NOT a cabinet member and is NOT charged with carrying out Presidential policy.
Other than that, good post.
All Bush wants/needs is yes men. I’m talking about Bush senior by the way.
“I was blocked at every turn. I was told the decision had already been made — stand down, don’t talk about it,” he said.
Help Wanted: Politician. Preferably presidential level.
Duties: study the Sun from really close up (but you can go at night). Pay grade: commensurate with heat levels withstood.
Job description:
A combined remote sensing and in-situ sampling from within the solar corona itself will provide a “ground truth” never before available.
[It wouldn’t be credulous without citing sources:]
http://www.lws.nasa.gov/missions/solar_probe/solar_probe.htm
8–This type of unmanned space exploration ((whether Dumbya goes or not)) is the type of program GOUSA should be doing. So many questions.
Just goes to show that since Bush Sr. the quality of our presidents
have gone downhill.
But then I suppose that the modern times need their own Grants,
Johnsons, Buchanans & Hardings.
At least we haven’t had any presidents that beat Harding, Nixon and
Hoover yet!
Cursor_
10—What saving grace does Bushie have over the worst president ever?
3,
Do you know how to read?
In other news, Michael Moore and CNN seem to have had a bit of a falling out over his new movie.
I’ll be so glad when Bush is done. And I am a Republican that voted for him. Like him or hate him, he is the most polarizing President ever. I just hope we stop with this whole Conservative/Liberal stuff, and start looking at things thriough the eyes of facts, not propoganda. it’s so difficult to just find unspun facts anymore…
as boring as it sounds, a democracy thrives when all possible ideas are evaluated, tyranny thrives when openness is quashed.
freedom of speech and free-thinking is at the very core of the American dream and is the defining ideal behind the American can-do attitude and is precisely what makes it possible for ordinary people to do extraordinary things and become successful
the free market is underpinned by the notion of parimutuel betting that dictates that the best ideas will succeed — closing the door to new ideas will eventually choke and kill the free market.
how ironic that conservatives want to do exactly that.
Impeach Cheney
Impeach Bush
Imprision Karl Rove
Must we politicize *every* facet of government.
This is disgusting. Send em all to IRAQ.
Not to worry…there are thousands of R political pukes running the various federal agencies in exactly the same way. Not that it wasn’t his right to do that, but he’s the first one to replace so many good people with pure dumbass political hacks. Helluva job, Bushie.
It’s *very* sad when the Special Olympics get politicized. My neighbor has a special needs child and voted for Bush and they are very active in the Special Olympics.
I can’t wait to show my neighbors this news clip.
I’ve been trying convince them the Republickans are evil.
18 – You’ll never succeed. “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Idiots like RA in Kennewick will always distort any issue into some irrelevant division between political wings. They’re tiresome but you’ll never change the minds of people determined to ignore the facts.
For more on Carmona, check out these short clips from back to 1999 from the Arizona Daily Star: http://tinyurl.com/2qqk2e
Here’s the problem I see: the Bushies want to RULE the country, not RUN the country.
J/P=?
For 15 years I asked everybody who would discuss politics with me what is the fundamental difference between the democrat and republican philosophy. After 15 year I only got one answer and that was “The Democrats believe poor people should be allowed to steal from the government too.” I have quit asking because, as stated, most people don’t have a clue, they just know their party is the right one.
We all need to understand that the 2 parties are the same. Neither one gives a damn about the average Joe and his family. They only care about controlling the money of the wealthiest nation on earth and putting as much of it as possible in their own pockets. Believing that either party is watching out for your interests is what makes you a sucker. A sucker who will always be used by others to get what they want at your expense.
Assuming everything this guy is saying is true, then he’s the bad guy. He could have spoken out, and presumably lost his job. Instead, he put his personal interest and the party’s interest ahead of the national interest(as he sees it).