Republican Congressman Is Unaware There Is No Surgeon General To Head Ebola Response

[branford]

48. Whether you or I believe the NRA claims about Murthy is irrelevant.

The fact of the matter is that Murthy is considered controversial enough by a sufficient number of Democratic senators that he cannot be confirmed, at least before the election.

What I find most unusual is that many claim Murthy is not a gun control activist, yet the actual basis for his notoriety and popularity appear to be these very same gun control positions, and the reason many are fighting so strongly for his confirmation. His resume is certainly impressive, but particularly due to his youth, is hardly exceptional or unique.

If the real reason why we need a permanent Surgeon General is to muster and coordinate our Ebola resources, I wish someone could explain to me what special or unique skills Murthy has in this area, no less that exceed the qualifications of other far less controversial potential candidates for the position, such as the Acting Surgeon General.

If the President truly believed that we needed a permanent Surgeon General for the Ebola crisis, he could readily nominate a highly-qualified candidate that could easily and quickly attain a bipartisan confirmation. The fact that we are still discussing Murthy a year after he was initially nominated demonstrates that the Ebola rationale for Surgeon General is, at best, a red herring, and the relative silence by the White House and Harry Reid, an acknowledgment that Murthy is more controversial than many would like to admit, and that he might not even be the best candidate available.