Sanjay It Isn't So?

Interesting Paul Krugman blog post at NYT questioning likely Obama choice of TV doc Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General.  Krugman points out that Gupta was in on the CNN mugging of Michael Moore's Sicko -- when, it turned out, he writes, the film was actually factually sound (no matter what you think of Moore).

Ezra Klein of The American Prospect, on the other hand, pointed out on MSNBC that the Gupta pick would clearly be aimed at selling health reform to the public -- which the Clintons botched and which Obama would do better with a popular TV performer selling it.

Comments

[Ian]

This pick is so disturbing guys. As a young progressive who years ago planned to make a career of politics, and then decided against it as I watched the sheer lunacy of our system reveal itself, this pick just confirms my decision.

I ask this over and over again, and even wrote to Editor and Publisher about this regarding Bill Kristol....what the hell does it take for someone to lose their credibility these days...or to earn it?

That's not to say one slip up should completely destroy credibility, but with the Moore thing, Sanjay really screwed up, attacked Moore, never apologized for being so wrong, never admitted how off he was. Is that who we want to have power in this country?

Meanwhile, you have Mike Moore, who was right about the Taliban, right about Iraq, right about Bush...and still gets no respect and barely asked to speak anywhere.

And they wonder why so many people my age chose not to get involved in politics.

[Rinky Dink]

Maybe this selection comes by way of his Clinton ties. The doc worked with Hillary on health care issues during Bill's tenure, and wrote speeches for her.