Nerve Endings Firing Away

President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation [source].

[via Uberdesi] If true and it most likely seems to be, this might be one of the high-profile appointments for an Indian-American (move over, Bobby Jindal). In spite of the plethora of Indian doctors in the U.S., he is the only one apart from Atul Gawande that I know of by name. Apart from seeing him on CNN’s medicine-related shows and presenting health tips such as walk more to obese Americans, I’m afraid that I do not know much about Sanjay Gupta to offer an opinion. My only beef with him was during his confrontation with Michael Moore in the context of the latter’s documentary, Sicko. At that time, I agreed mostly with Moore than Gupta.

Considering Obama’s focus on health policy and campaign focused on universal health care, this appointment might be more than just ceremonial. Dr. Gupta might in fact play an important role in advising if not making health policy. Gupta has been an excellent journalist for CNN with on-field experience when he was embedded with a Navy unit and had to perform brain surgery five time including once on a 2-year-old Iraqi boy. But is he experienced enough to be a bureaucrat? What else does he have in his background that makes him eligible for such a high-profile appointment. I hope we ask serious questions on his level of commitment toward the job and not support him merely because he happens to be brown.

And even though it might be a stretch to say so, how does it affect the news network’s relationship with the Obama administration? With MSNBC already in the bag, will CNN follow? We don’t need Fox-style bashing but we do need the media to hold the administration accountable and as Anderson Cooper says, keeping them honest. But Time’s Swampland blog is not handing out any free passes to their sister company’s anchor. Jay Newton Small brings forth the snark:

But picking a television personality — and here I mean no disrespect, the guy is clearly a multi-tasking genius — leaves the door open for a just a tiny bit of mockery. Judge Judy for the Supreme Court? Rachel Ray for White House chef? Flava Flav to head the the DEA! And, hey, Law & Order was one of Fred Thompson’s top credentials in his presidential run.

I hope Gupta doesn’t dwell on his journalistic experience as his sole qualification for the job.