Republican Congressman Is Unaware There Is No Surgeon General To Head Ebola Response

The attached story highlights quite clearly just how stupid the Republicans cadre is.  Ferguson has done an exquisite job in laying out the timeline from the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy to why he isn't where he should be.  What's that saying, ignorance is bliss,,,?  It is time for you to grow up Mr Chaffetz, the days of your youth are long over.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) says Ron Klain is "off to a bad start" in his new role as the president's Ebola response coordinator, and that the U.S. Surgeon General should be the one leading the effort.  But what Chaffetz doesn't seem to realize is that there hasn't been asurgeon general for more than a year.

“Why not have the surgeon general head this up?" Chaffetz asked in a Wednesday appearance on Fox News.
"I think that’s a very legitimate question. At least you have somebody who has a medical background whose been confirmed by the United States Senate.”

“It begs the question, what does the surgeon general do?" he added. "Why aren’t we empowering that person?”

President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as the nation's top doctor in late 2013, but his nomination has stalled in the Senate ever since. The reason? The National Rifle Association has been pressuring Republicans and conservative Democrats to oppose him over his positions on gun control. Murthy has advocated for an assault weapons ban, and in 2012, he tweeted that gun violence is "a health care issue." That didn't sit well with the NRA's chief.

"Simply ut, confirmation of Dr. Murthy is a prescription for disaster for America's gun owners," Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's legislative arm, wrote to Senate leaders in February.

The result is the country is now dealing with cases of Ebola without a surgeon general at the top, providing public education and guidance on the situation.The last surgeon general, Regina Benjamin, left the post in July 2013.Boris Lushniak has been the acting surgeon general ever since.

Republican Congressman Is Unaware There Is No Surgeon General To Head Ebola Response