Waxman to probe WH censoring of Surgeon General.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/11/waxman-to-probe-wh-censoring-of-surgeon-general/

Waxman to probe WH censoring of Surgeon General.

Today House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt requesting documents related to political interference with the work of the Office of the Surgeon General.

The text of the letter follows:

July 11, 2007

Honorable Michael O. Leavitt
Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I am writing to request documents related to political interference with the work of the Office of the Surgeon General.

Yesterday, the Committee held a hearing on the Surgeon General’s Vital Mission: Challenges for the Future. At the hearing, Dr. Richard Carmona, the most recent Surgeon General, testified that during his term, political appointees edited his public remarks, blocked him from developing or issuing several reports or calls to action, and denied travel requests on political grounds.

To assist the Committee in its investigation of these events, I request that you provide the following:

1. All documents related to the Surgeon General’s report on global health;

2. All documents related to the Surgeon General’s report on prison health;

3. All documents related to the Surgeon General’s proposed reports on mental health preparedness and on emergency preparedness;

4. All documents relating to requests for Dr. Carmona to speak at events outside the Department, including events for other government agencies or the White House. Please indicate whether the request was accepted or denied; and

5. All travel requests submitted by Dr. Carmona, beginning in August 2002 through the end of his term. Please indicate whether the request was approved or denied.

The Committee requests that you produce these documents on or before July 25, 2007.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee in the House of Representatives and has broad oversight jurisdiction as set forth in House Rule X. An attachment to this letter provides additional information about how to respond to the Committee’s request.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact me or ask your staff to contact Art Kellermann or Naomi Seiler with the Committee staff at (202) 225-5056.

Sincerely,

Henry A. Waxman
Chairman

Perhaps we can clone him?!?! That would doubly piss-off *

Pelosi and Reid are like flaccid, sweaty handshakes. Waxman, Schumer and Leahy are like good-natured chucks on your shoulder that you still feel hours later!

I think that we are beginning to see the results of this Unitary Executive's disdain for the voice of the people and our 230 years of democracy. Through W's actions, certainly; but also through the actions of all of these political appointees. Mimicking their leader, they ignore the rule of law in order to push their own highly questionable values. Unlike Shrub, however, most of these appointees will almost certainly NEVER face any consequences for their actions.

By stymieing (sp?) Dr. Carmona's principal responsibility as Surgeon General, these ass clowns have done the equivalent of telling a doctor NOT to tell her patient that he's in serious medical trouble. No surprise, as many of the more successful neocon attacks on reproductive rights have resulted in doctors, nurses, guidance counselors and teachers being forbidden to even discuss certain aspects of birth control with their patients/students. The result? Ignorant kids have ignorant kids, too early, thus depriving themselves of a full life as a contributing member of society.

Just wait for one of these aging GOP monkeyspankers to come down with Parkinson's, or Alzheimer's, or bone cancer, and watch how quickly stem-cell votes can switch. Hypocrites!