Bush Even Shoves Surgeon General Into Politics

How politicized has the government become under the Republican White House administration of George W. Bush?

The Surgeon General of the United States is a position which is supposed to rise above ideology and political partisanship to make unbiased determinations based on science regarding the public health. Yet former Surgeon General Richard Carmona testified to Congress that the Bush administration:

• Told him to understate the harmful effects of second-hand smoking
• Ordered him to mention George W. Bush three times on every page of his speeches
• Ordered him to make speeches in favor of Republican political candidates
• Told him to avoid attending the Special Olympics because the organization has been supported by the Kennedy family
• Forbid him from discussing stem cell research
• Forbid him from discussing emergency contraception
• Forbid him from discussing sex education
• Forbid him from discussing health in prisons
• Forbid him from discussing mental health

If expert public health information made the Republicans or their patrons in business and religion look bad, it was to be shoved under the carpet. The Surgeon General was asked to pursue Republican purposes, not public health interests. The time is past due for American government to return to a policy of truth.

(Source: New York Times, July 11 2007)