Bush May Recess-Appoint Homophobic Surgeon General Nominee Who Wants To Cure Gays
Bush May Recess-Appoint Homophobic Surgeon General Nominee Who Wants To Cure Gays
President Bush’s Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger appeared before the Senate health committee on July 12, forced to defend his controversial positions on homosexuality. Yet three months later, Holsinger is “no closer to becoming the nation’s next surgeon general.”
ThinkProgress today spoke with a spokesperson for chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA) who said the committee still has not received a response to a follow-up questionnaire it sent Holsinger three months ago:
We sent out the questions on 7/26 and requested that they be returned by COB on 8/10. We have not received the answers and there is no Committee action scheduled at this time.
Holsinger’s lengthy delay indicates that Bush may be angling to recess appoint Holsinger. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports:
The committee must vote before the full Senate can consider the nomination, and senators are hoping to adjourn for the year by mid-November.
The delay leaves open the possibility that Holsinger will either have to wait until next year for a confirmation vote or get the job through a “recess appointment” by Bush. [...]
A recess appointment would allow Holsinger to serve as surgeon general until the end of the current Congress late next year.
Bush has been more than willing to use this executive power to avoid or delay battles over divisive nominees such as former U.N. ambassador John Bolton and Swift Boat-funder Sam Fox. In June, the Washington Post reported that Bush had filled 105 full-time positions with recess appointments, compared to just 42 such appointments under President Clinton at the same point in his presidency.
Holsinger has come under intense criticism for his long history of prejudice toward gays and lesbians. He founded a church that “ministers to people who no longer wish to be gay or lesbian” and “opposed a decision to allow a practicing lesbian to be an associate pastor” in the United Methodist Church. In 1991, he also authored a graphic document arguing that gay sex is “intuitively” unnatural and can lead to “lacerations, perforations and deaths.”
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
42 Responses to “Bush May Recess-Appoint Homophobic Surgeon General Nominee Who Wants To Cure Gays”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
You get the feeling that these last few months of the Bush Debacle are going to be nothing more than a giant middle finger to the 75% of the people who oppose him.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:53 amHarry, Nancy...no more recesses--Ever--until these clowns are out of office, please. BTW, you're not winning any points with me by sneaking back to shorter work weeks.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:54 amof course monkeyboy will give him a recess appt. what better way to let loose with another honking spitball the democrats' way.
ho hum. another day, another democratic failure.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:54 amSo well said, Sat night on Bill Maher, so many, many more important issues are facing America and the world than a person's lifestyle, good grief !
October 29th, 2007 at 11:55 amI don't understand why Bush is pushing Holsinger for the SG position. I mean -- as soon as this guy is confirmed, he's going to be so busy treating all the gays lining up for "cures" that he won't be able to do anything else.
sarc/off
October 29th, 2007 at 11:57 amIn June, the Washington Post reported that Bush had filled 105 full-time positions with recess appointments, compared to just 42 such appointments under President Clinton at the same point in his presidency.
And that is with six years of a rubber-stamp congress that gave him virtually everything he wanted. What does that tell you about the quality of his screening process for administration apointments?
The mind reels.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:59 amCue Daryll 5 4 3 2 1...
October 29th, 2007 at 11:59 ammaybe Obama will sponsor the guy's nomination.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:02 pmBush needs a cover for him being secretly gayish, so appointing a homophobe like Holsinger placates the GOPers who are anti-homosexual.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:04 pmPlus it protects Bush from being exposed hiring male escorts such as Jeff Gannon for sex.
Once appointed, his first patient will be Dick Cheney's daughter.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:08 pmHey, won't this be the first gay surgeon general?
October 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pmI'm sorry, but if Bush gets away with this, I would consider it another failure by the dem congress. Pelosi/Reid can stop this from happening if they want to.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:11 pmThis be funny:
October 29th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
IT FIGURES. Nothing would surprise me about appointing a anti gay person as the nations top doctor. After all Republicans many of which are gay, hate gay people. I guess they like staying in the closet. This guy is probably a closeted gay man.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:18 pmOop! Here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-jacobs/ann-coulter-on-the-gay-_b_70156.html
October 29th, 2007 at 12:18 pmThere are three serial trolls lurking.
TCDon
xley
hits
Please do not directly feed the trolls.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:19 pmGood lord. Just another effing dangerous bigot in a very long string of dangerous effing bigots...
October 29th, 2007 at 12:24 pmlet me guess..."angry letter time".
October 29th, 2007 at 12:27 pmAnother day, another outrage, another free pass - operation ongoing nightmare continues with no end in sight.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:30 pmI wonder if there's a cure for neo-conservatism?
After all, if you can find a cure for being gay, why not cure something really horrible?
/sarcasm off
October 29th, 2007 at 12:34 pmWhy doesn't the committee just vote him down for failure to answer? That would forestall Bush making him a recess appointment.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:36 pmCongress must get serious.
NO MORE RECESS!
Someone must stay, and the Senate must hold "pro forma" sessions.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:37 pmBush appointment policy = 'Don't ask, Don't smell'
This jerk can't pass the smell test, so Bush will make a recess appointment.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:41 pmI wonder if there’s a cure for neo-conservatism?
Comment by raynman — October 29, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
There is. It's called education.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:15 pmBush thinks the Surgeon General is a military position so no gays or gay-advocates are allowed.
Bush is just a playground bully, so he likes recess best, anyway.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:15 pmSo I guess it would be foolish to believe that Obama will be placing any kind of "hold" on this guy...
October 29th, 2007 at 1:22 pmYou know, just once - I would truly LOVE to hear a straight answer from one of these gay-bashers:
What would you like to see done about homosexuality/homosexuals...?
The answers would be ...enlightening, I'm sure.
Think about it: what would - or could - they say...?
A. Kill them...?
B. Imprison them....?
C. Force them back into the closet....?
Any answer they would give would expose them for what they are - and I'd pay money to see that. Let's ask Bill Orally - and see what *he* says.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:26 pmLeftside Annie, unfortunately, I would guess that too many gay-bashers would choose "all of the above" and want to see gays imprisoned in the closet without any normal human sustenance until they died.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:30 pmThink about it: what would - or could - they say…?
A. Kill them…?
B. Imprison them….?
C. Force them back into the closet….?
Comment by Leftside Annie — October 29, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
I'd wager on none of the above. I think they'd say D. Give them Jesus and convert them back to heterosexuality, since they believe The Gay is a lifestyle choice and not an inherent genetic characteristic.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:32 pmThe cure for recess appointments is for Congress, particularly the Senate, to stay in session. No recess. No recess appointments. But . . . but . . .. but what? So, in a time of war, Congressmembers have to spend more time in session, doing the People's business?
For every unitary Executive move, there is a Legislative countermove. So, will the Democratic leadership be BOLD, or merely complacent. Start thinking outside the box, because, in case you haven't learned yet, W and his crew did away with the box a long time ago.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:33 pmI wonder if there’s a cure for neo-conservatism?
Comment by raynman — October 29, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
There is. It’s called education.
Comment by toasterhead — October 29, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Hence the recent identification of "Universities and Colleges" as the 2nd most dangerous institution in the US.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:44 pmComment by Leftside Annie — October 29, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
Loved your multiple choice question. Unfortunately, I have asked a couple of vehemently anti-gay evangelical acquaintances of mine that same question, and their answer was "Cure them! They can be delivered if they just surrender to Jesus!" I guess that option should be (D) on your list.
No doubt these people would be overjoyed at the prospect of Holsinger being SG.
October 29th, 2007 at 1:58 pmComment by toasterhead — October 29, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
Sorry, TH -- I didn't see your answer before I posted mine. I guess GMTA.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:00 pm28 and 29 - I think you guys are absolutely correct.
However, the point I was making is that I'd like to see that question ASKED of them - in front of a camera.
The vast majority of Americans (over 75%, I believe) favor equality for gays and lesbians, and are against any sort of discrimination.
If this question were asked - point-blank, no softballing - it would be enlightening for the American people.
...Hopefully.
...If any of them were paying attention.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:01 pmFor every unitary Executive move, there is a Legislative countermove.
Comment by po — October 29, 2007 @ 1:33 pm
Unitary Executive Move: "Jump!"
Legislative Countermove: "How high?"
Seriously -- does anybody have a list of Bush appointees who DIDN'T get enough votes to be confirmed? Don't count obvious trial balloons set forth to fail (like Harriett Miers) so the Senate would confirm the "better" appointee who came later. Only count those who actually got as far as a vote.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:04 pmIn 1991, he also authored a graphic document arguing that gay sex is “intuitively†unnatural and can lead to “lacerations, perforations and deaths.â€
Somebody's not treating his boyfriends right...
October 29th, 2007 at 2:10 pm36 - Zooey - maybe we ought to take up a collection and send him a case of K-Y...ya think?
October 29th, 2007 at 2:14 pmLeftside Annie,
I think the good doctor would require two wetsuits to feel absolutely
October 29th, 2007 at 2:15 pmcleansafe. Make it two cases. ;)Out of the closet and into the fray...
October 29th, 2007 at 2:28 pmYes, we should be keeping the Senate in session. You divide the duty up between the Senators and have just enough in town to call a proforma session each day. It would stifle Bush and it would show a little backbone on the Democratic side for once.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:19 pmThanks to this pandering to the lunatic religious fringe, our country is the laughing stock of the world. If we can identify one accomlishment of the Bush administration, it would be this: He accomplished turning the United States into a pathetic joke. Heck of a job, Bushie.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:32 pm41 - heh - next thing ya know -- Chimpy will be telling us is that there are no homosexuals in America.
*snark*
October 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pm