President Obama shakes hands with Regina Benjamin, his nominee for surgeon general, in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday. (Charles Dharapak/AP)Republicans must be fuming.
Just as Senate hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor kicked off today, President Obama announced his choice for Surgeon General: Dr. Regina Benjamin, a family physician from rural Alabama.
Both are women. Both belong to minority groups. Benjamin is African American, while Sotomayor is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents who moved to New York.
Need I say more?
Benjamin, 51, made headlines because of her determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She's a country doctor who makes house calls and doesn't turn away patients who can't pay.
"For all the tremendous obstacles that she has overcome, Regina Benjamin also represents what's best about health care in America, doctors and nurses who give and care and sacrifice for the sake of their patients," Obama said Monday, noting her insight will help rebuild the country's healthcare system.
Her nomination for surgeon general requires Senate confirmation.
Ugh.
Listening to opening statements at the Sotomayor confirmation hearings today made me want to stick my head in an oven and set it on broil.
It proved, once again, that senators love to hear themselves talk--the more imperious and hostile the tone, the better. For three hours that's all they did. I don't know how the Capitol can accommodate so many swollen heads.
If my job required me to sit through these hearings, I would drive my car into a brick wall.
I would hope to end up comatose in a hospital room with no TV, just in case I wake up.
Sources: AP, USA Today, BNO
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