Now here's an interesting Obamapointment. CNN's Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General. In the balance, I like it. OK, so Dr. Gupta was an advisor to Hillary Clinton many moons ago during her health care debacle. Was he the one who suggested to Hillary that Americans should be jailed if they try to use their own private funds to purchase health care? That would be a negative. On the positive side, virtually everyone loves Sanjay Gupta. Dr. Stud. Come on folks .. this guy is covering the war against Islamic terrorism in Iraq for CNN when suddenly he dons the scrubs and is performing surgery on an injured soldier? This comes close to my fantasy of taking over the controls of a commercial airliner full of Miss American contestants on their way to Las Vegas after the flight crew passes out. (Damn right I could land it.) Dr. Gupta would be uniquely positioned to address the health problems facing Americans - especially the obesity epidemic - because of his broad public appeal.

... should be the man who gave him the job. Barack Obama is a smoker. He's also America's principal celebrity at this time. Teenagers are going to want to emulate their celebrity hero. I think that there is no doubt whatsoever that many young people will take up smoking because their hero-celebrity president smokes. Sanjay Gupta could make quite a statement if he made Obama's quitting of the nicotine habit as a condition of his acceptance of the appointment to Surgeon General. That could be an initial victory for the cause of public health.

By the way ... please consider this. I know that ending your addiction to nicotine is a tough job; so is the presidency. If Obama isn't strong enough to quit smoking, how is he strong enough to be an effective president?