Unhealthy Hubris

From an editorial in this morning's New York Times:

Dr. Carmona told a House committee that the administration would not allow him to speak on the scientific and medical aspects of stem cell research, emergency contraception, comprehensive sex education and prison or mental health issues. He said a surgeon general’s report on global health issues was quashed because he refused to insert glowing references to the efforts of the Bush administration. His report on prisoners’ health care was held up for fear it would lead to demands for costly reforms.
Other disturbing improprieties included an order that Dr. Carmona insert President Bush’s name at least three times on every page of his speeches, requests that he make political speeches on behalf of Republican candidates and an admonition not to speak to a group affiliated with the Special Olympics because of the charity’s longtime association with the Kennedy family.
It all sounds so ham-handedly partisan that it would be laughable if it weren’t so damaging to the public’s understanding of important public health issues. Dr. Carmona declined to name his tormentors but made it clear that they included assistant secretaries in the Department of Health and Human Services as well as other top political appointees….

Dr. Carmona testified alongside two other former surgeons general [C. Everett Koop & David Satcher-- Ulysses] who also met political resistance, but nothing close to what Dr. Carmona experienced during four years of service in the Bush administration.

The descriptive term covert totalitarianism seems called for in this instance. Rather than a robust, in-your-face policy of constant propaganda in the tradition of Mussolini or Stalin, the Bushies seem to have developed a new technique of control. First they flatter people by appointing them to prominent positions, then they arm-twist these once credible figures into doing their partisan bidding. This works remarkably well, as human psychology prevents people from admitting to their puppet status, and thus casting doubt on their own credibility. It is only later, after re-asserting their independence through leaving the administration, that these people admit to the public how they were manipulated behind the scenes. In the case of a Surgeon General this is damaging to the aims of free scientific inquiry and a vigorous effort to improve public health.

Far more tragically, former Secretary of State Colin Powell's credibility was put forward as a shield behind which warmongerers like Cheney and Wolfowitz could advance their agenda. Even before he left the administration, Powell let subtle hints fall that he wasn't an enthusiastic supporter of the chickenhawk's rush to war. Yet the U.S. public didn't notice these subtle hints. They did notice Powell lending the legitimacy of his presence at the U.N. to the Bush administration's reckless plans. The puppetmaster always wins, at least up until the point at which the puppet finally summons up the courage to cut the strings.