Could Howard Dean Be Named Surgeon General?

Last night, Dr. Sanjay Gupta withdrew his name for consideration for the post of U.S. Surgeon General. Gupta, who is the chief medical correspondent for CNN, cited personal reasons for his decision to withdrawal.

So the question is who will Obama appoint in his place?

The liberal blog Think Progress (which is affiliated with the Center for American Progress founded by Clintonite John Podesta) is suggesting former Vermont Governor, Presidential aspirant and DNC Chairman Howard Dean for the position. http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/03/04/dean-sg/

Many on the Left wanted Obama to appoint Dean as either Secretary of HHS or Health Czar once Tom Daschle was out of the picture. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/howard-dean-for-hhs-or-he_b_163789.html Obama appointed Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and former Clinton official Nancy Ann De Parle to those posts respectively. If Dean were appointed Surgeon General he would have to report to both Sebelius and De Parle. I don't think Dean would be inclined to accept an appointment where he would be subordinate to a former colleague and a career bureaucrat. It would be a come down for a man who was once on his way to becoming the Democratic Party's Presidential nominee.