Howard Dean for Surgeon General?

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Friday March 06, 2009 · 5:31 PM PST

2009/03/06 · 17:31

According to Reuters, Howard Dean is being considered for the post of Surgeon General.

"I would not dismiss it," one of the White House officials said of the possibility that Dean will be selected.

What does the surgeon general do?

The surgeon general leads the 6,000-member commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and is the top federal government spokesman on matters of public health.

Does Dean want the post?

Reports are mixed. According to the report above, Dean has made it privately known he's interested. According to this report, however, some say Dean is not interested in this particular role:

sources close to the Vermont Governor tell us, and The Plum Line's Greg Sargent, that he isn't interested in the post.

"I don't think he wants Surgeon General," said one ally of the former chair, who added that the post was not as substantive as HHS.

"He wants to be part of the healthcare fight," said another, arguing that more could be done on that front from the outside.

Personally, I want Howard Dean, whom I vigorously supported in 2003-2004, to be a major player in this debate. He's been both a doctor and a Governor, so he has a better perspective than most on the issues. I was very disappointed Sebelius got the role at HHS. Let's hope the administration doesn't pass Dean by yet again.

Unless there's a better place for him...? I'm open to suggestions.

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