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Obama's surgeon general pick - a doctor who's supposed to be a health role model (if nothing else, I mean what the hell else does the Surgeon General do besides PSA's about 'do this, don't do that) and she's obese. It's more a statement about Obama than her, in reality. THis whole administration and the people working in it. Up is down. Good is bad. Left is right. 36,000 jobs saved/created for 1 trillion in stimulus tax money, but 3.3 million jobs lost since Obama took office. A tax cheat for Treasury Secretary. A huge pro-abort for Health and Human...

Senate Confirms Surgeon GeneralBy Kate Phillips October 29, 2009, 8:46 pm After much agitation earlier in the day, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Regina Benjamin as the nation’s surgeon general on Thursday night amid a national emergency over the swine flu outbreak. The Senate approved her on a voice vote. On Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, had taken to the floor to complain that her nomination, along with others, had been held up. Republicans had stalled her confirmation over another issue, the so-called gag order imposed on insurance companies about whether they could inform...

A friend just called from America to talk about Obama’s appointment of a fat woman, Dr Regina Benjamin, as surgeon general. “I guess I can’t use the phrase ‘elephant in the room’, but this raises some very, very delicate issues,” she said. As Alex Spillius reports, America’s new top doctor has been strongly criticised by health lobbyists for her weight. But my American friend has noticed that some people are already making a connection between Dr Benjamin’s embarrassing weight problem and the fact that she’s African-American. They should be careful. You see, while the obesity of poor whites and red-state...

Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, Obama's pick for the next surgeon general, was hailed as a MacArthur Grant genius who had championed the poor at a medical clinic she set up in Katrina-ravaged Alabama. But the full-figured African-American nominee is also under fire for being overweight in a nation where 34 percent of all Americans aged 20 and over are obese. Critics and supporters across the blogsphere have commented on photos of Benjamin's round cheeks, saying she sends the wrong message as the public face of America's health initiatives. But others support the 52-year-old founder and CEO of Bayou La Batre...

Regina M. Benjamin grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and attended a Catholic elementary school in her home town of Daphne, Ala., nestled along the Gulf Coast. Benjamin, President Obama's pick to be surgeon general, attends Mass regularly and has received an award from Pope Benedict XVI and another inspired by Mother Teresa. But the Alabama country doctor also backs Obama's position on reproductive health issues, a position that potentially could put her at odds with the Catholic Church.

Wednesday July 15, 2009 White House: New Catholic Surgeon General Supports Obama Abortion Agenda By Kathleen GilbertWASHINGTON, D.C., July 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A White House spokesman appears to have settled confusion on the position of Surgeon General nominee Dr. Regina Benjamin by saying that the doctor, though widely considered a devout Roman Catholic, supports President Obama's agenda on abortion.White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said in a Miami Herald report yesterday that Benjamin "supports the president's position on reproductive health issues." Earlier this year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explicitly confirmed that for the Obama administration the term "reproductive health" includes abortion....

White House: Like Obama, Surgeon General Nominee Benjamin Pro-Abortion Washington, DC -- White House officials have confirmed that President Barack Obama's nominee for Surgeon General may be a Catholic, but agrees with his pro-abortion position. Regina Benjamin is a well-regarded Alabama physician who has been honored by the Catholic Church for helping poor residents of her state. http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5220.html

Dr. Regina Benjamin poses for a portrait in the waiting room at her temporary clinic in Bayou La Batre, Ala., last September. (CNS/courtesy MacArthur Foundation) Dr. Regina Benjamin, a member of the board of trustees of the Catholic Health Association, is being nominated as surgeon general this morning.We had this story on Benjamin last fall, when she received a MacArthur fellowship for her work with medical clinics in poverty-stricken areas of Alabama.Benjamin did her undergraduate studies at Xavier University in New Orleans and in a 2005 speech she talked about the Catholic parish she grew up in, and how her...

Obama Surgeon General Pick Regina Benjamin Wanted Docs to Learn Abortions Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama named Alabama physician Regina Benjamin as the next Surgeon General of the United States. Benjamin is an African-American doctor who is known for rebuilding her medical clinic after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and then ravaged by fire in 2006. However, Benjamin has also urged that future physicians be trained to learn how to perform abortions. See http://www.LifeNews.com/nat5208.html

Regina Benjamin, the youngest doctor and first black woman admitted to the American Medical Association, is President Obama's pick to be surgeon general. ------ snip ------

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama turned to the Deep South for the next surgeon general, a rural Alabama family physician who made headlines with fierce determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. An administration official said Obama will announce the nomination of Dr. Regina Benjamin later Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to upstage the official announcement.

With CNN’s Sanjay Gupta having taken himself out of the running, could NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman be positioning herself to be named Surgeon General in the Obama administration? Seriously. I ask because given the chance to question Janet Napolitano today, Snyderman, NBC’s chief medical correspondent, prefaced her inquiry with glowing praise for the Director of Homeland Security and the Obama admin at large. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Dr. Nancy Snyderman, do you have a question? View video here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Howard Dean, a practicing physician before entering politics, was under consideration by the Obama administration for the post of U.S. surgeon general, CNN reported Friday. Dean, who recently wrapped up a four-year term as Democratic Party chairman, has been a supporter of health reform, and has privately made clear that he is interested in the job, according to the cable network. CNN said two White House officials noted that, while it is too early to compile a list of candidates for surgeon general, they did not rule out Dean getting the job. "I would not dismiss it,"...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Howard Dean, a practicing physician before entering politics, was under consideration by the Obama administration for the post of U.S. surgeon general, CNN reported Friday. Dean, who recently wrapped up a four-year term as Democratic Party chairman, has been a supporter of health reform, and has privately made clear that he is interested in the job, according to the cable network.

CNN) -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has withdrawn his name from consideration as surgeon general of the United States, an administration official said Thursday. "Sanjay Gupta was under serious consideration for the job of surgeon general," the official said in an e-mail. "He has removed himself from consideration to focus more on his medical career and his family. We know he will continue to serve and educate the public through his work with media and in the medical arena." Sources said in January that Gupta met then-President-elect Obama in Chicago, Illinois, in November to discuss the post....

(CNN) -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has withdrawn his name from consideration as surgeon general of the United States, an administration official said Thursday. "Sanjay Gupta was under serious consideration for the job of surgeon general," the official said in an e-mail. "He has removed himself from consideration to focus more on his medical career and his family. We know he will continue to serve and educate the public through his work with media and in the medical arena."

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has withdrawn his name from consideration for surgeon general, the network and the White House announced Thursday afternoon. The announcement comes after FOXNews.com reported that Gupta had misgivings about the offer from President Obama and was expected to refuse the position. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said on air Thursday afternoon that Gupta decided that he wants to continue with his medical career and his job at the news network.

I got this by email: Support grows for Dr. George Lundberg as Surgeon General. Many people believe that George D. Lundberg, M.D, Ph.D., is ideally qualified to be Surgeon General. Lundberg, an expert on medical ethics and the need for healthcare reform, edited the Journal of the American Medical Association for 17 years and the Medscape Journal of Medicine for 10 years. Coincident with his leaving the latter, the latter journal announced that it has stopped publishing new articles but will maintain free access to its archive. [Romain M and others. So long but not farewell: The Medscape Journal of...

Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) is leading an effort to remove CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta from consideration as the next U.S. surgeon general. The senior Democrat, a major proponent of universal healthcare, is infuriated that Gupta, who opposes such a plan, would be appointed by President-elect Obama to serve in the incoming administration. Conyers intended to call Obama directly Thursday afternoon to voice his concern. On Wednesday night, he sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to gather support for his cause.

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to 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.

President-elect Barack Obama has approached CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, to be the country's next surgeon general, the cable news network said Tuesday. CNN said it has kept Gupta from reporting on health care policy and other matters involving the incoming Obama administration since learning he was under consideration for the post.

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to 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. When reached for comment today, Gupta did not deny the account but declined to comment. The offer followed a two-hour Chicago meeting...

Dr. Eric Whitaker and Sen. Barack Obama go way back. Their friendship began when they were graduate students at Harvard University. Now, Whitaker is one of Obama's closest advisers. Whitaker, 43, of Chicago, often travels with the presidential hopeful on the campaign trail and has vacationed with him in Hawaii. There's talk Whitaker could be in line for a federal appointment if Obama becomes president. Five years ago, Obama, then an Illinois state senator, gave a "glowing'' reference for Whitaker to Tony Rezko, the now-convicted political fixer who helped Gov. Blagojevich find people to run state agencies. Blagojevich hired Whitaker...

In testimony before Congress last week, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said that the Bush administration has an adversarial relationship with science. "Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is often ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Carmona said. "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." This is a common criticism of the Bush administration, made most thoroughly in journalist Chris Mooney's 2005 book, "The Republican War...

An official with the Institute on Religion and Democracy says many critics of President Bush's nominee for surgeon general have no problem with his qualifications. Their main concern, says Mark Tooley, appears to be his faith. Recently, the first hearings were held concerning the president's nominee for surgeon general, Dr. James Holsinger, Jr. The Kentucky cardiologist has come under fire by homosexual activist groups who have condemned him because he is president of the Judicial Council in the United Methodist denomination, which is the church's top court. One of those groups, the Human Rights Campaign, has attacked Holsinger for what...

July 16, 2007, 7:00 a.m. Send the General HomeAn unnecessary office. By Tom McClusky The House of Representatives held a hearing last week that included a number of former surgeon generals who are upset that they were forced to follow the orders of their presidential bosses. “The horror,� they (the gaggle of surgeon generals) collectively said, “That I had to follow the orders of the guy who gave me my job.� In response the equally horrified Democratic-controlled Congress wants to make the job more independent so as not to be constrained with silly things like following orders. “Just imagine,�...

Media jumps to claim he has retracted his position - others suggest that is exaggeration By Elizabeth O'Brien WASHINGTON, DC, July 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During the Senate hearing yesterday, Surgeon General nominee Dr. James Holsinger Jr. remained studiously ambiguous on the issue of homosexuality. Meanwhile, the mainstream media has been clamoring that he has positively retracted his former views to now favor homosexuality. Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues of Concerned Women of America (CWA), reported that during the meeting, Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy began by slamming Dr. Holsinger for his Christian faith and the paper he wrote...

WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Before a Senate confirmation hearing today, Bush's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. James Holsinger, responded to criticisms and allegations regarding his views on homosexuality and stated that he is not anti-homosexual, Reuters reports. During the hearing, Holsinger said, "I can only say that I have a deep, deep appreciation for the essential humanity of everyone, regardless of their personal circumstances or their sexual orientation." "Questions have been raised about my faith and about my commitment to the health and well-being of all Americans, including gay and lesbian Americans. He also told Senators that...

While recently awaiting the arrival of a new baby, Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius found herself not so much restricted by her bulging belly as by the opinions of those around her - especially when it came to alcohol consumption. Somehow my body became public property when I got pregnant. People I barely know elatedly rub my belly when they’d feel highly uncomfortable giving me a hug. Then there’s the rest of the public who feel it’s their prerogative to tell me what I am allowed to eat, drink and do. Cultural taboos vary country to country, yet you’d think that medical advice...

The first U.S. surgeon general appointed by President George W. Bush accused the administration on Tuesday of political interference and muzzling him on key issues like embryonic stem cell research. "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....

On July 12, 2007, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings for Dr. James Holsinger, nominated to be the Surgeon General of the United States. His nomination has sparked opposition from both liberals and conservatives. Liberals detest his position on homosexuality, and conservatives question his ambiguous positions on stem cell research. While he may quell the conservative opposition by giving straightforward answers about his current positions, Dr. Holsinger will likely be unable to change the minds of liberals. While liberals point to many incidents in attempt to paint Dr. Holsinger as "anti-homosexual," much of this rhetoric stems from a paper he...

Homosexual advocacy groups are objecting strongly to President Bush's nominee for surgeon general, but Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. also faces questions from conservative groups about his views on human cloning and embryonic-stem-cell research. Tom McCluskey, vice president for government affairs at the Family Research Council, said that Dr. Holsinger spoke to a Kentucky state legislature committee in 2002 and "testified in support of loosening regulations around cloning and embryonic-stem-cell research." "We're not supportive of his nomination right now," Mr. McCluskey said, adding that "we've been told he's come around on the issue, but the surgeon general is such a...

In June, as major media were turning surgeon general nominee James Holsinger into a piñata, Rev. Keith Boyette's telephone rang. The caller was a producer from Paula Zahn Now: The CNN news magazine wanted to do a show on Holsinger, the producer said, and had been told that Boyette, pastor of Wilderness Community Church in Spottsylvania, Va., knew Holsinger very well. The Zahn producer's interest in Holsinger, Boyette told WORLD, had little to do with the doctor's distinguished record as a Kentucky cardiologist, cabinet secretary for the state's health services department, and former chief medical director of the Veterans Administration....

LITTLE ROCK - Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders says presidential nominee Dr. James Holsinger's views on homosexuality should not matter but how he squares those views with the job of promoting "a sexually healthy nation" should. "It would be very difficult for me to feel that this is the person that we should be confirming in this day and time with all the problems we have, related to sexual health," Elders told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Holsinger, a Kentucky cardiologist nominated to the surgeon general post by President Bush last month, has come under fire from gay rights groups for...

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 8, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A doctor tapped by President George Bush for the position of Surgeon General has been attacked by homosexual activist groups for saying homosexual activity is unnatural and unhealthy.Dr. James W. Holsinger Jr. wrote a paper in 1991 entitled “The Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality” for a United Methodist Church committee that was studying homosexuality. The article was an overview of peer-reviewed scientific studies showing the many diseases and physical damage that frequently accompanies homosexual activity. In the paper Holsinger stated that engaging in homosexuality was physically dangerous as well as unnatural behavior.Pointing out...

The nominee in question is not just any doctor. James Holsinger is also one of America’s most prominent United Methodists, a former president of that denomination’s Judicial Council and one of the leaders of the Confessing Movement renewal organization. That means he’s conservative, particularly with regard to sexuality issues. For many gay rights groups, that means he’s radioactive: President Bush’s nominee for surgeon general, Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James Holsinger, has come under fire from gay rights groups for, among other things, voting to expel a lesbian pastor from the United Methodist Church and writing in 1991 that gay sex is...

Lexington (AP) -- President Bush's nominee for surgeon general, Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James Holsinger, has come under fire from gay rights groups for voting to expel a lesbian pastor from the United Methodist Church and writing in 1991 that gay sex is unnatural and unhealthy. Also, Holsinger helped found a Methodist congregation that, according to gay rights activists, believes homosexuality is a matter of choice and can be "cured." "He has a pretty clear bias against gays and lesbians," said Christina Gilgor, director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, a gay rights group. "This ideology flies in the face of current...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- New Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger had his named announced as the candidate to be America's top doctor just days ago. But Planned Parenthood, the leading abortion business in the nation, is already lobbying him to side with its pro-abortion agenda. Holsinger is an accomplished physician who has led one of the nation's largest healthcare systems in Kentucky and the University of Kentucky's medical center. He also has taught at several American medical schools, and he served more than three decades in the United States Army Reserve, retiring in 1993 as a Major General. In nominating...

The surgeon general hypes the hazards of secondhand smoke.According to Surgeon General Richard Carmona, secondhand smoke is so dangerous that you'd be better off if you stopped going to smoky bars and started smoking instead. "Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke," claims the press release that accompanied his new report on the subject, "has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases risk for heart disease and lung cancer." Among smokers, these diseases take many years to develop. So if you got your health tips from the surgeon general, you'd start smoking a pack a day as a protective...

“Secondhand smoke debate ‘over.” That’s the message from the Surgeon General’s office, delivered by a sycophantic media. The claim is that the science has now overwhelmingly proved that smoke from others’ cigarettes can kill you. Actually, “debate over” simply means: “If you have your doubts, shut up!” But you definitely should have doubts over the new Surgeon General’s report, a massive 727-page door stop. Like many massive reports on controversial issues, it’s probably designed that way so nobody (especially reporters on deadline) will want to or have time to read beyond the executive summary. That includes me; if I had...

I don't know how many operations I performed in my surgical career. I know that I performed 17,000 of one particular type, and 7,000 of another. I practiced surgery for thirty-nine years, so perhaps I performed 50,000 operations. I was successful, and patients were coming to me from all over the world. And one of the things that endeared me to the parents of my patients was the way my incisions healed. No one likes big scars, but they are especially upsetting to mothers when they appear on their children. So I set out early on to make my...

Surgeon General Calls on Americans to Face Facts About Drinking; Transportation Safety Leaders Join Alcohol Research, Prevention, and Treatment Leaders to Recommend Screenings on April 8, National Alcohol Screening Day 4/1/2004 12:23:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: National Desk Contact: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 301-443-3860, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 301-443-8956 WASHINGTON, April 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., today called on American adults who drink alcohol to participate in free screenings to be offered April 8 at more than 5000 sites nationwide. The "Alcohol and Your Health-Where Do You...

A London accountant has described how Pakistan's disgraced nuclear hero Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan visited the West African state of Mali on three occasions between 1998 and 2000. Abdul Ma'bood Siddiqui accompanied A.Q. Khan on three mystery trips  between 1998 and 2000. Their final destination was Timbuktu, a remote outpost in the desert that has always been a magnet for explorers and adventurers from around the world. The mystery behind the visits has deepened following recent revelations that Khan is also the owner of a small hotel in the town that he has named after Hendrina, his Dutch-born wife and...

Lying in the name of public health A recent study by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the most popular brands of smokeless tobacco in this country are the ones with the highest levels of readily absorbed nicotine. For the researchers, the finding was an opportunity to once again mislead the public about the hazards of oral snuff. "Consumers need to know that smokeless tobacco products...are not safe alternatives to smoking," said co-author Patricia Richter of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. "The amount of nicotine absorbed per dose from using smokeless tobacco...

<p>The Army is trying to figure out what is causing a rash of serious pneumonia cases, including two fatalities, among soldiers serving in Iraq.</p> <p>A six-person team of specialists was en route to Iraq Friday to investigate 14 cases of pneumonia serious enough that the soldiers had to be put on ventilators to breathe and evacuated from the region, the Army Surgeon General's office said Friday.</p>

WASHINGTON -- Surgeon General Richard Carmona said Tuesday that he supports the banning of tobacco products -- the first time that the government's top doctor and public health advocate has made such a strong statement about the historically contentious subject. Testifying at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on smokeless tobacco and "reduced risk" tobacco products, Carmona was asked whether he would "support the abolition of all tobacco products." "I would at this point, yes," he replied

(CNSNews.com) - A federal jury in Providence, R.I., ruled in favor of Philip Morris U.S.A. in a case brought by the family of a Rhode Island smoker. Judith Hyde sued for compensatory damages for her husband Walter's death, because she said the company did not warn him of the possible health hazards when he started smoking in 1959, his teen years. "The jury concluded that there was widespread common knowledge of the health hazards of smoking even before the Surgeon General's warning was put on cigarette packages," said William S. Ohlemeyer, vice president and associate general counsel for Philip Morris...