The Surgeon General - what I didn't know.

[branford]

12. He has the exact same powers as a confirmed SG,

and his resume is quite impressive. Arguably, he's more qualified than Obama's nominee, Vivek Murthy.

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/biographies/biosg.html

Moreover, there are many highly qualified individuals who could easily be confirmed by the Senate for SG. Vivek Murthy has no right or entitlement to the position, and as he has no specific or unique skills concerning Ebola or epidemics, sny claim that we desperately need Mr. Murthy specifically is, at best, a red herring.

Most importantly, Mr. Murthy has not received a vote in the Senate because about 10 Democrats will not support his nomination. There are 55 Democrats (including 2 Independents in the caucus), and he needs only 50 votes to be confirmed (a tie would be broken by the vice-president). After Reid's "nuclear option," the Republicans cannot filibuster executive appointments.

If you have any complaints that Mr. Murthy has not been confirmed, you need to speak with Harry Reid.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/us/senate-balks-at-obama-pick-for-surgeon-general.html