No subject

General, Dr. David Satcher, the holders of this office have been people of 
unquestioned integrity as Surgeons General and have properly used this 
public trust to educate people in this country about urgent public health 
issues such as smoking, AIDS, violence, diet, mental illness and many other 
issues.  The common denominator and prerequisite for having public trust is 
unquestionable integrity. Knowing what is already known about Dr. Carmona 
raises so many questions about his integrity that when more people become 
aware of this, as they inevitably will, it will be difficult if not 
impossible for many people to believe the pronouncements he makes as 
Surgeon General. The field of public health has too many other physicians 
whose character and integrity have not been questioned and who have a much 
more extensive public health background than Dr. Carmona to make the 
serious mistake of confirming him. Although several physicians I know in 
Tucson have described him as a "charismatic cowboy", and I have no reason 
to doubt either attribute, these qualities are hardly sufficient to 
overcome the other problems concerning Dr. Carmona,
I am willing to speak with you about this important decision if that would 
be helpful.


Sincerely,


Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, Director, Public Citizen Health Research Group


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