Sour Grapes From the Surgeon General

It seems quite the fashion for former Bush appointees to appear before Congress and claim the Bush White House interfered with their jobs. The latest is the former Surgeon General:

Former surgeon general Richard Carmona "accused the Bush administration of muzzling him on sensitive public health issues, becoming the most prominent voice among several current and former federal science officials who have complained of political interference," the Washington Post reports.

"Carmona, a Bush nominee who served from 2002 to 2006, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that political appointees in the administration routinely scrubbed his speeches for politically sensitive content and blocked him from speaking out on public health matters such as stem cell research, abstinence-only sex education and the emergency contraceptive Plan B."

In other words, the Surgeon General was required to follow the policies of the president who appointed him. What a shock. If this was such a terrible thing, why did Carmona remain in the job for 4 years?

My guess is he has a book coming out and needs some free publicity.