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Today's Must Read
Admit it: when George W. Bush is gone, you're going to miss him. Who else would politicize the surgeon general's office? Who else would embed junk science into a mostly ceremonial post? And who else could turn a congressional hearing into strengthening that sinecure into an exploration of political corruption?
Yesterday, Richard H. Carmona, U.S. surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the Bush-inflicted horrors he experienced during his tenure. Some of Carmona's experience will be familiar to administration-watchers, like a dismissal of global warming as "a liberal cause" by senior officials. Health and Human Services cronies struck references to stem-cell research from his speeches while instructing him to mention President Bush three times on every page. Come election time, the nation's doctor was to prescribe voting for the GOP ticket.
Other aspects are more inventive, even for President Bush. Consider the case of the Special Olympics:
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.“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said.
The Special Olympics is one of the nation’s premier charitable organizations to benefit disabled people, and the Kennedys have long been deeply involved in it.
When asked after the hearing if that “prominent family” was the Kennedys, Dr. Carmona responded, “You said it. I didn’t.”
What's the White House response? It's Carmona's fault:
“It’s disappointing to us,” (White House spokeswoman Emily) Lawrimore said, “if he failed to use this position to the fullest extent in advocating for policies he thought were in the best interests of the nation.”
Carmona is hardly the first, or even the fifteenth example of the administration's politically motivated suppression of science. For instance, James Hansen, muzzled from speaking about climate change. Susan Wood, restricted from approving an over-the-counter contraceptive. Just consult the list.
And, of course, it may not stop when Bush is out of office. In 2004, Frank Foer wrote the definitive exploration of the clash between empiricism and modern conservatism. We've all got our dogmas, but Foer's piece shows this to be something of a mania on the right. Call the doctor.
Note: You can see video from the hearing here.
Comments (28)
AJ wrote on July 11, 2007 9:32 AM:I strongly suggest watching the video -- well worth the time.
Jake wrote on July 11, 2007 9:33 AM:Thanks to the Republican Party, the United States has become the laughingstock of the international community.
TheraP wrote on July 11, 2007 9:36 AM:As DoJ goes, so goes the rest of government under bush.
bush regime: criminal conspiracy disguised as government.
Is there any corner of it where the slime has not penetrated?
KestrelBrighteyes wrote on July 11, 2007 9:43 AM:The sad part is, I'm not surprised by anything this bunch does anymore.
Mojotron3000 wrote on July 11, 2007 9:46 AM:I now associate retards with the Bushes and not the Kennedys, but that's for reasons wholly unrelated to Carmona's non-appearance at the Special Olympics.
Samsara wrote on July 11, 2007 9:50 AM:Soulless.
POed Lib wrote on July 11, 2007 9:54 AM:This guy is a whore. He sat in that office from 2002-2006, taking in the crap that came from Rove, and repeating it like a little lap dog. He didn't have to make those speeches. He didn't have to repeat the propaganda.
He sold his honor for a mess of pottage, and now he's complaining? There is nothing more disgusting and pathetic than a whore who took the money, and then complained that she was forced, FORCED, into taking off those clothes in return for that $500.
Carmona lost all his honor the first time he said the speech that they wanted him to say. Why does anyone listen to a whore?
POed Lib wrote on July 11, 2007 9:55 AM:Susan Wood retained her honor. She quit.
Carmona did not quit. He just sucked it up, and said the lies fed to him by Rove. He's a whore.
davis13 wrote on July 11, 2007 10:01 AM:This administration has a lot of disgruntled employees. I suppose he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Beppu50 wrote on July 11, 2007 10:16 AM:POed Lib,
"He sold his honor for a mess of pottage, and now he's complaining?"
That is true for everyone who has been an enabler for Bush and now bitches about the damage his has done to their reelection chances or whatever. An intervention is needed wherein every individual who has aided and abetted G. W. is confronted with his or her role in this disaster. It would require a 100,000+ seat stadium.
sam's uncle wrote on July 11, 2007 10:16 AM:A whore, yes... But I would rather he speak up now than remain silent. Like C. Powell, there is no honor left, just the hollow shell of a once respected man.
osage wrote on July 11, 2007 10:17 AM:The diabolical values/decisions of the Bush administration are wholly unconscionable. They reveal a level of intellectual and moral depravity wherein personal ambition, avarice, partisanship and even acts of outright evil are preferrable to doing what's honest and beneficial for Americans, America and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of defenseless human beings throughout the Middle East. Politics first isn't just a crime against humanity, it's a crime against god and his teachings in all of his incarnations.
jeffgee wrote on July 11, 2007 10:18 AM:Why should anyone be surprised at this? John DiIulio had it figured out in late 2002.
adyacent wrote on July 11, 2007 10:27 AM:"There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus," says DiIulio. "What you’ve got is everything—and I mean everything—being run by the political arm. It’s the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis."
Creating their own reality for us to observe.
Too bad Carmona had to wait to speak out until the tide turned against this gang of thugs.
Together with all these anecdotic evidences, there is something else that it is not talked about anywhere, but I think it is very important, and it is the freezing on the funding of the NIH (National Institutes of Health) practically since 2002. This has resulted in an increased defunding of projects by NIH. Historically, the NIH funded, after a peer-review process, about 20-30% of the Grant proposals. This year this number is in the 10-15% (it varies from institute to institute, but it is about there). Can you imagine how is the scientists morale, knowing that your project, with the long hours that you have to put to prepare it (which includes a whole section of preliminary results to show that your project is doable, it is not just writing)has only a 10% chance of getting funded?
Yellow Dog wrote on July 11, 2007 10:30 AM:This defunding is affecting all sorts of biological research, not only stem-cell related.
"An intervention is needed wherein every individual who has aided and abetted G. W. is confronted with his or her role in this disaster. It would require a 100,000+ seat stadium."
Posted by: Beppu50
Date: July 11, 2007 10:16 AM
54 million-seat stadium, you mean. Personally, I would be satisfied if everyone who has expressed support of any kind, shape or form for this maladministration just sit the f*** down and shut the f*** up for the next seven years.
c4logic wrote on July 11, 2007 10:34 AM:We ARE a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Yes it is true that the weasels have taken over Toad Hall, er the White House. Yes, it is true that smart boys and girls stay up late figuring out how to bamboozle the rubes. And they have succeeded largely because a majority of us Americans have failed to man the barricades and fight the bullshit. These guys win by bullshit, plain and simple. But not all of us have been corrupted, and we the people need to take our country back and wash clean the Augean stable load of crap these Republicans have filled America up with
osage wrote on July 11, 2007 11:07 AM:To those who still are intellectually dishonest enough to attempt to defend Bush by inaccurately pointing to Clinton, compared to Bush how many Generals who served under Clinton criticized his decisions? Compared to Bush, how many FBI, CIA, NSA or DOJ officials publically criticized him for what he ordered them do? Compared to Bush, how many members of his administration took the 5th rather than testify before congress? Compared to Bush, how many people did Clinton prevent from testifying in Congressional or criminal investigations when he was in office through executive privilege? Compared to Bush, how many of Clinton's WH or DNC e-mails were destroyed/lost to prevent them from being used as evidence of criminal acts within the WH? Compared to Bush, how many signing statements did Clinton create? Compared to Bush, how many thousands of American soliders and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens have died for nothing, while American tax payers footed a Trillion dollar wasted investment, while the he ignored what they wanted him to do? Compared to Clinton, how much national deficit has Bush's incompetent policies created for future generations of Americans to pay?
Merlin wrote on July 11, 2007 11:08 AM:What this administration has done to science is unpardonable (unlike Scooter Libby). They are killing our future economy by taking apart the scientific engine. Although it would have been better had Carmona resigned this is the next best thing he could have done. Beyond a doubt the worst president in history.
emjay wrote on July 11, 2007 11:44 AM:Yes osage, (whew!) and the Bush administration isn't even over. The repubs have had six years to dig into Clinton. Although of course their main object of investigation concerned obfuscating about a blow job.
jak1 wrote on July 11, 2007 11:51 AM:I hate to watch these clips. Here we have a credible witness, from their side. And The White House will just pass him off as another disgruntled former employee, who has an ax to grind because he says he didn't get his way!
And they'll quote him. Out of context of course.
I want to know exactly what will hold water? When will we see something come of it? When will enough be enough?
We all know that time for Justice is running out. January 2009, I'll bet all presidential documents will be all carted up and sealed in an undisclosed location, before any Plans for a Presidential Libary can be thought about. Probably under Cheney's bed!
Easy Money.....Anyone want in on it?????????????
Tick-tock............
hamletta wrote on July 11, 2007 12:11 PM:He sold his honor for a mess of pottage....
What mess of pottage? I can't imagine the Surgeon General's gig pays that well. Maybe he stuck around trying to fight from the inside. We have no way to know either way.
And don't forget there was no oversight during all those years, since the GOP held Congress.
DJ wrote on July 11, 2007 12:31 PM:After listening to the hearings from yesterday, I want to quash an idea put forward by Republican Tom Davis. He questioned the boundaries for appointed officials; he wasn't sure that they should just tow the line.
With respect to policies themselves, I suppose that I agree. However, my fundamental difference is that I do not see science, i.e. what has and has not been demonstrated scientifically, as being a policy. Policies should themselves be based upon science, *not* dictate what scientific conclusions will be accepted. When they do, it pollutes the public debate over the issue; we end up debating the science instead of whether we should react to the conclusion.
For example, the science of global warming is conclusive. Yet, the *policy* of the administration is to not accept the science. I am suggesting the following: they should accept the conclusions of the scientists (like the generals in Iraq :-) ) and then debate whether we should do something about it. Instead, we have idiots like Inhofe pretending to know something about a field as complicated as global climate change.
Anyway, I would have loved to have heard one of the panelists challenge Davis on the role of scientific appointees.
Powkat wrote on July 11, 2007 12:36 PM:Osage - not to mention that no one was marching in the streets demanding Clinton's impeachment.
txgirl wrote on July 11, 2007 2:32 PM:While I wish Carmona, Powell, Whitman, etc., would have spoken out sooner on the Bush Cancer, I am glad they are speaking out now. After reading the weekend op/ed in the Denver Post ("Bush Justice is a National Disgrace" http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408), in which the career DoJ lawyer closes by acknowledging he is at "substantial risk of unlawful reprisal from extremely ruthless people who have repeatedly taken such action in the past", I now have a greater sympathy for those caught in the same position.
I'd wager there are others waiting in the wings, deciding whether to put their futures and their families at risk by speaking out. As a parent, it would be a very difficult choice to take those risks. One always hopes that such people will still come forward regardless, and one always hopes that the risks will not come to pass. But we do not have control over those conditions, only how we react to these revelations.
We can encourage those holdouts by acknowledging the difficulty of their position -- not *excusing* their silence, but welcoming them, and letting them off the hook because at least they came forward. The chance for redemption and redress might be powerful enough to outweigh the risks.
Condemnation -- while easy and somewhat satisfying in the short term -- is likely a strong DIS-incentive: you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. If all are condemned for not speaking out sooner, if there is no forgiveness and no quarter, potential whistleblowers may believe there is little to be gained from speaking out, and much more to lose.
Keep that in mind when excoriating those who have the courage to come forward.
Anonymous wrote on July 11, 2007 2:40 PM:"Who else would politicize the surgeon general's office?"
Actually, it's been a target, esp for the christian hard right, for quite a while. Remember Jocelyn Elders?
lower tiberius wrote on July 11, 2007 5:33 PM:out of Office!
That crum should be in prison right now for the paychecks he received while in the TANG and not even being in the state
family doctor my eye
that *ucker was required to see a military physician for his drug tests
fraud
and then he couldn't make up (And I mean Make Up) the lost weeks for a departure
His answer to questions about where he was and what he was doing? "They knew where to find me".
I'm sure his "Elvis like" hours of "public service" made up for his drunken whoring and cocaine sniffing with jim bath
azbill wrote on July 11, 2007 6:16 PM:Carmona was not well thought of when he was at the University of Arizona and he did not let us down when the bush crime family tapped him to lead the US public health. No big suprise since he was worthless at the UofA. Now he tries to ride the white horse to Congress. He could have resigned but chose to wear a fancy uniform and collect a big government check. He is NO HERO, never has been, never will be.
dewey_m wrote on November 14, 2007 10:37 AM:Well, I think it is safe to assume we will see another spike in STD's.