BUSH POLITICS AND PUBLIC HEALTH. Two days before the Senate is set to hold confirmation hearings for Dr. James W. Holsinger, the anti-gay Kentucky cardiologist who's been nominated to be surgeon general, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona told Congress the Bush administration banned him from speaking publicly about stem cell research, emergency contraception, sex ed, mental health, global health, and other issues. He was pressured not to attend the Special Olympics because of the event's ties to the Kennedy family. I kid you not. The job of surgeon general is to be “the doctor of the nation” -- not “the doctor of a political party,” said Carmona, a Bush appointee. --Dana Goldstein
