Former Bush surgeon general says he was muzzled

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first U.S. surgeon general appointed by President George W. Bush accused his 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 panel.

"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.

Carmona said Bush administration political appointees censored his speeches and kept him from talking out publicly about certain issues. He mentioned political interference preventing him from discussing the science on embryonic stem cell research, contraceptives and his misgivings about the administration's embrace of "abstinence-only" sex education.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/bush_surgeongeneral_dc

You were to serve the citizens of the USA, not the republicon fascist BORG. Really, dude.

After the fact is a little late.

It was our job to get this Democratic Congress so that we can find out about these things and provide a forum for this information to be presented.

If he had told it before, it wouldn't have been reported, and if it got any attention then he just would've been ridiculed and demeaned.

Realistically, people have to have a forum to be heard by the public.

Colin Powell had one because of his position and his strong reputation, but most others don't have one.

and complained about this. I said that the Surgeon General (and I added - the ATTORNEY General, for that matter) work for the people, not the Republican Party.

Phone number is 202.456.1111, if you want to do the same.

Who's going to care? The entire administration consists of nothing but cheap thugs. The dregs of society.

If a million of us called, it wouldn't matter. It didn't matter when...how many?...10 million? around the world marched in opposition to going to war in Iraq. You see how that worked out! This is no longer a government of the people.

Lisa...this is not a put-down to you. It just all seems so hopeless. ;(

silent and I applaud those who are calling these SOB's out. Once you keep silent they win. It's your choice.

The story of former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil is another eye opener!
A high powered, hard working cabinet memeber who was basically told to 'shut up and enjoy the ride'.
http://www.thepriceofloyalty.ronsuskind.com/
Great book.

and the scientists who complained that their written work had been suppressed and, if I recall correctly, even rewritten.

These former Bushies are so big and brave now that it is too late to do any good. I have less respect for them than those who have remained silent because they are now talking like they care about the country when in fact they didn't and don't give a shit about anything except making a few bucks for themselves now and are trying to reclaim their reputations. Too late, Buster.

:puke: :grr:

Is there somewhere you can look up book sales? How many have sold, how much money they've made? Like a movie's box office total?

Some rumblings are leaking out in the popular media about what sycophants and whores they were from 2000 all the way through to 2006. But I predict a veritable flood of books (as soon as the ink is dry on all the pardons Bush is going to issue to his loyal staff) from media folks who will now reveal for the first time all the "Hoo boy, if you only knew" stuff that they sat on and refused to air during Chimpy's Reign of Error.

The rationale will be something along the lines of "we didn't want to influence the election campaigns," but will readily translate to "we were having too much fun with our legs in the air and picking up the twenties on the dresser to care very much."

He is/was gutless.

He had the reputation, the audience (remember, he was courted heavily to run for public office prior to joining the Bush administration), exposure and position to do something ... ANYTHING ... but CHOSE to use it for Bush's invasion agenda. Whatever Powell did in the 60+ years leading up to and in the years after acting on that decision simply do not matter. History will forever remember him for that action and rightfully so.

From the DoJ to the Public Health Service to, probably, the Visiting Nurse Association.

don't forget what a "heckuva job" Brownie did!!

each branch they touch is getting infected and we are the surgeons have to stop the cancer that has engulfed our country.

Unbelievable.

My favorite part is how he was ordered to mention Bush three times on every page of every speech he gave.

"we do not know what we will find once they leave office. They have done so much damage to our country that is public knowledge, what have they done behind the scenes that we don't know about"

I am no Hillary supporter but her statement couldn't be more true.

If it doesn't happen, there will be a huge amount that will never be known and even with Impeachment, we won't find it all out.

There's no doubt this kind of crap has been going on at all levels of government, in every cabinet department. There have to be hundreds if not thousands of career people in Washington dying to blow the whistle, but they're understandably afraid of having their lives ruined. Yet another reason why the Repugs will do ANYTHING to hang on to power in 2008. Whoever the Democratic candidate is had better be ready for the dirtiest campaign and the lowest election fixing tricks this country has ever seen.

hm... he could be trying to distance himself from Bush enough to run in 10.

:wtf:

What a coward!

and...just in case I need it: :sarcasm:

ugh

No doubt _Bush assumed he'd keep their secret.

Maybe this will encourage someone currently serving the American Republican Party in the administration. They've got only a fixed time frame in which to salvage their reputations they'll need for the rest of their lives.

:nopity:

Now he has pangs of conscience? Another coward.

Why do they only come out now?

Is this a purely repuke trait to join in on the beatings only after the guys ass has been kicked?

yeah, another reeeeeeeal patriot we have here.

:eyes:

that the American people pay them to do. Hey, if you can't do the job quit for gods sake, preferably before you let things get screwed up!

Bullshit! He ALLOWED himself to be muzzled and sold out for the money. I have NO respect for these assholes that are suddenly deciding to rat out the bastards after we've already been sold down the river. It's sickening how they suddenly have developed a conscience. Too little, too late you losers. To know about it, be in a position to do something about it and remain silent is being complicit in the crimes of this administration. This guy, Colin Powell and a host of others can simply kiss my fat wide white ass and go to hell.

its truly Amazing

doing so would reflect positively on the Kennedy family.
Just...incredible.

On edit: Can I assume I don't need the sarcasm emoticon?

on PBS. Judy Woodruff interviewed him. He talked about how the censoring came all the way from the White House.

Dr. Carmona also discussed what a shame it is, because other nations look up to this position of The Surgeon General of The United States.

"what a shame it is, because other nations look up to this position of The Surgeon General"

Correction: Looked up to..

But it's been going that way on a lot of things lately.

And why didn't he protest this at the time? Or resign?

Is Richard Clarke the only sensible gov't official to resign immediately and tell the tale?

n/t

I think you are all wrong and should listen to his testimony here before you pre-judge this guy, he's describes a lot of incredible crap the Bushbots and the ReThugs put him thorough. This is some VERY Bad Sh*t, probbably illegal in some cases:

(from today on NPR) <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11854247>

"...The reality is that the nation's doctor has been marginalized and relegated to a position with no independent budget and with supervisors who are political appointees with partisan agendas," Carmona said. "Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried."

Carmona said when he first came to Washington in 2002, he was somewhat naïve. He recalled a meeting where senior White House officials talked about global warming as a liberal cause with no merit.

"I remember thinking, 'I know why they want me here, they want me to discuss the science; they don't understand the science.' So I had this scientific discussion for about a half an hour, and I was never invited back to the meeting."

Carmona soon realized what he had gotten himself into, however. When he wanted to launch a public education campaign on the science of stem-cell research, he was told he couldn't. "I was blocked at every turn, told the decision had already been made. Stand down, don't talk about it," he said. Carmona said that throughout his term, his speeches were edited and talking points were provided by political appointees. President Bush was to be mentioned at least three times per page for example.... <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11854247>

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON, July 10 — Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional panel Tuesday that top Bush administration officials repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations.

The administration, Dr. Carmona said, would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues. Top officials delayed for years and tried to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand smoke, he said. Released last year, the report concluded that even brief exposure to cigarette smoke could cause immediate harm.

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.

And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to a “prominent family” that he refused to name.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

"Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona said that Bush administration officials tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports."

"Prominent Admnistration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to a “prominent family” that he refused to name".

John and Teresa Heinz Kerry are on the Special Olympics Board of Directors.

Does itsurprisee anyone that pResident weasel-boy would bypass a worthy charity that helps special-needs
kids and adults---just to smite a political opponent? The man is so childish, it's beyond the pale.

All of the other stuff---suppressing science, keeping vital health information from the public--is just
par for his evil, demented, sick, perverse course.

Bush-ness as usual.

...(but the chimp doesn't fall far from the tree).

That would be the Kennedys, I believe.

"The global Special Olympics movement got its start on 20 July 1968, when the First International Special Olympics Games were held at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, USA. But the concept of Special Olympics was born much earlier, when Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a day camp for people with intellectual disabilities at her home in 1962." from the History of the Special Olympics

http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/English/About_Us/History/default.htm

it's been censored. Websites scrubbed, important research information lost. Bush-ness as usual has cleaned information house for 6 years, top to bottom. It will take decades to recover.

...AND EXPOSE EVERY CHENEY/BUSH CRIME AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION THEY SWORE TO UPHOLD AN DEFEND.

Every branch of government. Every agency. Every department. It boggles, it boggles.

It will take decades. THe EPA disaster is a complete horror. Purging of history, records, studies, findings, epid. studies, - a crime against humanity.

...something like, (Bush suppresses health reports) Surgeon General Sees 4-year Term as Compromised

something important like what you mention that isn't included in the headline.

However, now it states "Use the EXACT TITLE of the article you are posting, without additional comment" above the subject line - so I can't add it.

we can still do it

}(

...by comparing them to...oh, hell, what group wouldn't be insulted by comparison to this mis-administration? :shrug:

When will enough be enough from these vermin?

:kick:

all politics, all the time.

Reading the article, it struck me that in nominating Carmona as Surgeon General, the Bush Regime actually chose some one who was competent! I'm surprised that Carmona lasted as long as he did: I expect Bush won't make that mistake again...

Actually pick somebody based on competence. Ben Bernake at the Fed might be the other person that they picked for competence, because they know the Bush economy is hanging by a thread and Wall Street would not have approved of a partisan hack.

I would say the following:

I wanted to talk to you about abstinence, stem cells, second hand smoke, decriminalization of marijuana, and national health care. However, as a condition of my holding office, I am supposed to mention the president no less than three times, AND toe their political, not medical line. So, here it goes:

George Bush is wrong on stem cells. As a policy, it costs lives.
George Bush is wrong on abstinence. As a policy it does NOT WORK.
George Bush is wrong on second hand smoke. As a policy, this kills kids of all ages.
George Bush is wrong on marijuana. there are valid medical uses AND criminilizing it is a crime itself.
George Bush is wrong on national Health Care. 50,000,000 uninsured are vicitms, as are the 250 million underinsured.

Face it. George Bush is wrong. I cannot in good faith serve such a vile man promoting such vile, evil, counterproductive policies.

And, hopefully you could get a network audience to make that speech.

They were very good at finding people who wouldn't make a fuss or cause a ruckus.

Except for that O'Neill guy. Whoops. That dufus actually raised a stink while the approval ratings were in the 60's. The guy's got integrity.

ps-I think highly of O'Neill and don't think he is a dufus...just framing it through a political lens.

He spoke truth to power BECAUSE it was truth. How many in this admin can claim that mantle?
Condi Rice?
Tony Snowjob?
Colon Powell?

I think he was one of only two outspoken appointees. In fact, if it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't know that the Iraq invasion was being planned from the very start of the administration --which was a very important thing to know.

The other was Richard Clarke.

George Bush the Senior chose/used both of the above. I think Poppy was a much better judge of people than his son --or maybe they were just looking for different things from the start.

So, credit where credit is due, there were two guys that spoke up at a critical time rather than 4 years later.

It's misinformation since I've been told by many here at DU that there are no hearings or investigations by Congress into Bush Adminstration activities.

More specifically, it's hard for me to believe that all those Democrats that I've been told are so spineless, only want to cooperate with the White House, and something about kissing somebody's somewhere (I think this is what you call, um, 'idiom') and that they are "not doing anything".

That other hearing with the blonde girl, I think that was fake too. Like I said, I've been specifically told that there aren't hearings going on and that the Democrats "aren't doing anything".

Besides why would Pelosi let this happen since she is now a Republican?