Republicans have blocked the confirmation of the Surgeon General for over a year now, but don’t tell that to Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz. While trying to question the wisdom of Obama’s new “ebola czar,” Chaffetz wondered why the job didn’t got the the Surgeon General.
“Why not have the surgeon general head this up?” Chaffetz asked.”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?”
Later on, after it was pointed out that Republicans are the stumbling block to a new Surgeon General, Chaffetz spoke with the Huffington Post and tried to explain his confusion. Clearly, according to his explanation, it was our fault for not understanding what he didn’t say.
“Well I do know there’s an acting surgeon general, I understand that,” Chaffetz said. “The surgeon general is also an office. It’s the Office of the Surgeon General. I know there’s some confusion there, but I don’t think I was confused.”
“I question why we would have a person that was put forward as a czar, when you do have an acting surgeon general,” he continued. “The point is the person the president has appointed doesn’t feel prepared to come before Congress.”
Of course Chaffetz makes no sense. He has no reasoning except to try and blame his confusion on the listener. Apparently it was our fault for assuming “Surgeon General” means an actual person doing an actual job. Regina M. Benjamin who served from 2009 to 2013 was clearly not a person, but, according to Chaffetz, an office. And all the other individuals who served since 1871 when the first position was occupied, were apparently “offices,” not people.
Just like the President is an Office, not the person the people voted for.
Eyeroll!
