Surgeon General told to mention Bush 3 times on every speech page, not to go to Special Olympics

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: White House Is Accused of Putting Politics Over Science
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: July 10, 2007

WASHINGTON, July 10 — Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional committee today that top officials in the Bush administration repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations.

Dr. Carmona, who served as surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, said White House officials would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues because of political concerns. Top administration officials delayed for years and attempted to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand tobacco smoke, he said in sworn testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

He was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of every speech he gave, Dr. Carmona said. He was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings, at least one of which included Karl Rove, the president’s senior political adviser, he said.

And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to the Kennedy family.

“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said....

Dr. Carmona joins a list of present and former Bush administration officials who assert that politics often trumped science within what had previously been nonpartisan government health and scientific agencies....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/washington/11cnd-surgeon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[HughMoran]

1. I heard this on NPR

It made me very angry - this is the most political administration ever. I hate Bushco.

[babylonsister]

2. Madness! Who'd a thunk this admin's legacy could get

worse than it already is? :crazy: What more might we have in store?

[Auggie]

59. What more? Perhaps the truth behind 9-11.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. "Why would you want to help these people?"

As a special ed teacher, that comment sent me through the roof!! Those bastards. :mad:

[DeepModem Mom]

9. For some reason, tears welled in my eyes reading your post.

A special ed teacher -- and the Special Olympics kids. How can they say, or think, such a thing? What is wrong with those people???

[PA Democrat]

30. As the mother of a disabled child, I've sadly concluded that they

are incapable of basic human empathy.

[mmonk]

49. As the parent of a person with developmental disabilities,

I reached the same conclusion. What's equally sad is their position has grown in America. What we're seeing is the dehumanization of America with an uncaring corporate mindset not worthy of a modern and decent country. Look now at the Supreme Court. It will be the final screwing of people with disabilities. That's one of the reasons I have no tolerance for people in our party that want to keep compromising with the strident darkness of the republicans.

[supernova]

38. Repukes=Worst of the Spartan attitude

Anbody who is different, deemed deficient, or infirm, is deliberately left in the wilderness to die.

At least the Spartans were honest about it. If a baby showed any deformity, it was left on a hilside to die from exposure.

The Repubs just want to neglect, LEAVE BEHIND, everybody else and claim they are doing God's work and being compassionate.

Pitiful excuses for humanity, the lot of them.

[MisterP]

52. why do you think "300" is their Bible?

heroic tyrants fight off Black, handicapped, and she-male Iranians in a war to Save Civilization

[proud patriot]

25. As a Special Ed Assistant I'm shaking with anger

at that comment ...:grr:

[rodeodance]

29. we always knew Bushco did not care------

[Horse with no Name]

39. I read it as

"Why would you want to help THOSE people" meaning Democrats (Kennedy).
Not defending their despicable acts but I truly think they despise Democrats more than they despise Lucifer.

[A HERETIC I AM]

32. I heard this on NPR today and the statement, while horrible, referred to the Kennedy family, not the

kids. The entire context was essentially the admonishment to not attend had to do with the SG appearing to "help" the Kennedy family who apparently have been deeply involved with the Special Olympics cause for quite some time.

The statement "Why would you want to help those (or these) people" meant "Why would you help the Kennedy's?" because the administration does not want to appear to do anything that would seem to endorse a position taken by a notoriously liberal and progressive family(god forbid!)

Still, it is inexcusable, but that was the explanation given by the former SG himself on the radio today.

[HughMoran]

37. Yes, you are correct

Although the idea that they wouldn't help a charity because Dems were involved in it made me extremely angry.

These are the most despicable people to ever have invaded our government.

[Shallah Kali]

53. So in other words the bush admin is willing to screw over disabled kids to get at the Kennedys

either of these reasons are so low I cannot rank one more vile than the other.

[nealmhughes]

60. Eunice and Sargent Shriver founded the SO as a memorial to Rosemary Kennedy.

[tblue37]

45. I read "those people" as meaning the Kennedys. n/nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. It's still a disgusting comment

Placing politics above the needs of disabled kids is repulsive.

[bdamomma]

48. well, if they have that kind of venom in their blood for special children

what do they think about us regular people, and the Iraqi people, shit, these thugs are just extremely hateful. They need to be pushed off their pedestals.

oops, they were referring to the Kennedys, but why do they try so hard to imitate them, compound in Kennebunkport.

[NMMNG]

56. That makes me want to scream, cry, vomit and raise hell.

I've worked with adults who have developmental disabilities for 20 years. The type of person who would ask a question like that is the epitome of callous heartlessness, which is pretty much a poster child for today's Republican Party.

[katty]

58. shades of nazi behavior

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. The doctors I know and with whom I work would consider this guy the worst kind of lackey.

Bookmarking for future distribution. MKJ

[havocmom]

5. So glad to see Carmona has not really been absorbed by the pod people

Was SO disappointed when he was not vocal and forceful against the junta's politicization of all scientific posts in government. Feared he had gone over to the dark side.

Glad he is coming out of the shadows and calling them on their BS.

Welcome to the Greatest Page again, DeepModem Mom, by the way

[DeepModem Mom]

13. I'm just along for the ride, with this latest outrage. We just never know what's next, do we? nt

[Inkyfuzzbottom]

6. Funny....

in spite of all this he chose to stick around for 4 years. Hmmmmmmm

[PA Democrat]

7. Wow! Their sick partisanship extends even to the Special Olympics.

Is there ANYTHING that the Bush administration failed to make political?

[sandnsea]

8. Politicizing our health

Between that and the awful comments about the Special Olympics, maybe this is simple enough for people to understand and turn against these bastards completely.

[aquart]

10. "Three times on every page."

Reminds me of my sole visit to Tiajuana. The leader of the state, country, I dunno, had big posters of himself everywhere.

Bush would do that, except for the creativity it would evoke. He doesn't like creativity.

[eridani]

11. Can you say "Hatch Act"?

I thought you could!

[DeepModem Mom]

15. I thought what he described violated the Hatch Act. You think it does? nt

[eridani]

24. Hoping a real lawyer will drop in to confirm n/t

[HCE SuiGeneris]

12. Who is this senior person? We have a right to know.

If one is going to bring this information to light, it is imperative to name names so that we can dismantle this cabal. Gawd I hate these people destroying our country. :mad:

[frogcycle]

16. damned straight

call the bastard out.

We need a simple statement of fact that (person 'x') on (date 'y') did/said 'z.'

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Why Is It That All The Stuff I Shouldn't Be Shocked By, I'm Still Shocked By, Even Though I'm Not?

Kudos to all that understand exactly what I mean.

[DeepModem Mom]

17. I understand perfectly. I thought about working the word "shocking" into the subject line --

yes, no, yes, no....Then, there wasn't space.

[frogcycle]

18. my sentiments exactly

no shock there

[karlrschneider]

40. It's because nobody can really become jaded anymore, because

there are now apparently an infinite number of absurdities. They multiply in the dark, like cockroaches.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

43. It's called a 'conscience'. You still have one in spite of everything.

I still have one, too. Most of us do,...in spite of everything.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

19. Another K-n-R. Dr. Carmona revealed the complete lack of either compassion or reason by this,...

,...administration.

The BushCO/neocon regime does not give a damn about anything other than its own political power/control.

SICK!!! Sociopathologically SICK!!! SICK muther-fockers!!!

[glitch]

20. God this is pathetic. How weak and inferior do you have to be to require this kind of brown nosing?

And how despicable do you have to be to provide it? No wonder so many government employees "retired". More like quit in utter disgust.

And anybody promoted under this regime needs serious evaluating by the next administration. Vile, loathsome toadies, the lot of them.

This is on top of the "those people" remark covered in the posts above.

[Oilwellian]

21. Stunning....

and another violation of the Hatch Act.

[EFerrari]

22. I so believe this. We were keynote speakers at a HHS conference

in 2002 in D.C. There were so many handlers there, it was oppressive. I'm glad this man is speaking out.

[DeepModem Mom]

31. Really! Thanks for sharing that observation, sfep! nt

[EFerrari]

33. It was my first experience in D.C. but even *I* felt the tension

between people who were trying to do their job and the hacks that were trying to curb and shape the message. It was akin to flying into a Central American airport and seeing armed men all over the place. Not the country I grew up in. :(

[Stephanie]

23. Enough. Impeach. Just fucking impeach.

"He was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of every speech he gave, Dr. Carmona said. He was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings, at least one of which included Karl Rove, the president’s senior political adviser, he said."

That's enough. Impeach.

[rodeodance]

26. BushCo is pure evil--telling him not to attend Spec. Ollympics!! gawd!!!

[rodeodance]

27. I am emailing this to my entire address book---pettiness!

[rodeodance]

28. ‘Why would you want to help those people?’---whow.

[rodeodance]

34. WH response here: (seems they blame him for not having a back bone)

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject “Always been this administration’s position that public health policy be rooted in sound science."
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1299527#1299527
1299527, “Always been this administration’s position that public health policy be rooted in sound science."
Posted by BurtWorm on Tue Jul-10-07 10:07 PM

:spray:

A Bushist spokesperson on former surgeon general Richard Carmona's testimony today about ways the Bush administration insisted on politicizing Carmona's office.

This is really the Chutzpah Administration--and contrary to what Alan Dershowitz may say, chutzpah (shamelessness, unmitigated gall) is nothing to be proud of:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

...

Bill Hall, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said that the administration disagreed with Dr. Carmona’s statements. “It has always been this administration’s position that public health policy should be rooted in sound science,” Mr. Hall said.

Emily Lawrimore, a White House spokeswoman, said the surgeon general “is the leading voice for the health of all Americans.”

“It’s disappointing to us,” Mr. Lawrimore said, “if he failed to use this position to the fullest extent in advocating for polices he thought were in the best interests of the nation.”

Dr. Carmona is one of a growing list of present and former administration officials to charge that politics often trumped science within what had previously been largely nonpartisan government health and scientific agencies.


...

In his testimony, Dr. Carmona said that at first he was so politically naïve that he had little idea how inappropriate the administration’s actions were. He eventually consulted six previous surgeons general, Republican and Democratic, and all agreed, he said, that he faced more political interference than they had.

...

[DeepModem Mom]

46. Thanks for adding this info, rodeodance! nt

[MisterP]

35. Trujillo would have "Trujillo alone gives us water to drink" on village pumps

and "Trujillo is the only one who gives us shelter" on nursing homes

[karlrschneider]

36. "...those people" They use that a lot, don't they?

:puke:

[tyedyeto]

41. And this is suprising to any of us here on DU?

He may be coming out with the truth now, but how many of us knew this looooong ago? < raises hand >

[checks-n-balances]

42. Weird, since * worked with Sen. Kennedy for 'No Child Left Behind'

a program that has become a vehicle for undermining the effectiveness & importance of the public schools. But working with Kennedy then was OK because it was election time and * needed the votes.

Now the true ugly face of this administration is there for all to see. That is their true nature, and this should be broadcast as far & wide as possible!

Anybody sent KO an email about this yet?

[struggle4progress]

44. What sort of American adult would obey, or even listen to, orders like that?

[ramapo]

63. A COWARD n/t

[DeepModem Mom]

47. FYI: This is page one, top-right lead story in today's NYT print edition. nt

[BrainGlutton]

51. Dammit! If Clinton and Bush Sr. can do charity appeals on TV together,

why can't Bush Jr. tolerate one of his people supporting one of Ted Kennedy's favorite charities?!

[robinlynne]

54. That sounds illegal to me. "make speeches to support repub candidates" is definitely

illegal.

[moondust]

55. Stalinism is alive and well

in the the Bush White House.

[treestar]

57. Mention him three times on every page

Sounds like some sort of magical incantation.

[juno jones]

64. The three mentions thing has been around awhile....

My husband, a shakepeare buff and actor pointed out to me once that many of the major lines in his plays are repeated (often in slightly different form) three times, so that a listening audience is sure to absorb it. Listen to commercials: for instance, there is a Taco Time commercial up here in the NW that drives me batty, for a 'Baja Supreme' or such like, announced with a responding 'heavenly choir' sound effect. I got to counting the repetitions of the product name..golly if it wasn't three times.

I found that admission particularly signifigant in terms of proof of propaganda as used by our erstwhile administration.

[bettyellen]

61. k+r

[War Pigs]

62. time to start the book, it will just have to have many revisions

as the deeds of these depicable assholes just keep getting uncovered. They literally didn't plan to leave any stone unturned in their righteous quest. Jail every last one of them!!! I guess if you're after world domination, the US goverment is as good a place to start as any. They will simply have to be beaten into submission and intimidated by the incarceration of their own kind.:puke:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

65. The cult of Bush. How digusting. I remember reading somewhere else, I think

it was Krugman's "The Great Unraveling", where the Bush Jr. administration was the first to take the unprecedented step of putting pictures of the Prez all over the budget document.