Breaking: Sanjay Gupta must have tax problems.

[Occam Bandage]

(CNN) -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has withdrawn his name from consideration as surgeon general of the United States, CNN U.S. President Jon Klein said Thursday. The neurosurgeon made that decision "in order to continue devoting time to his medical career and of course his work at CNN," Klein said.

Sources said in January that Gupta met then-President-elect Obama in Chicago, Illinois, in November to discuss the post. Gupta has declined comment.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/gupta.surgeon.general/index.html

[polichick]

1. I was wondering whatever happened with that appointment.

[Clio the Leo]

2. lol @ tax problems. NT

[alsame]

3. Wolf just said Gupta

wants to spend more time with his family. :rofl:

ETA: New baby on the way.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. Doesn't feel like taking the pay-cut

And as surgeon genral he would have a harder time getting on TV than he does as a TV person.

[Ocracoker16]

5. Tax problems? I don't think so.

[fujiyama]

6. It may not have been tax issues

but rather potential conflict of interest complications due to his show on CNN having lots of pharma ad $.

And yes, he would have had to take a pay cut...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

8. A drug problem.

:think:

[fujiyama]

27. Technically you're absolutely right!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

28. ;)

[spanone]

7. cause nothing's more important than appearing on cnn

:sarcasm:

[Cha]

9. Must be. More important to be in a propaganda

machine than being a part of history..I think he just showed his true self.

[AllentownJake]

25. He's 39 and has 2 young children with another to be born anytime

I'm going to take him at his word until I've seen reason to do otherwise.

I'm guessing he believes he'll have another shot at it...he may, he may not. Thus is life your given opportunities some you take some you don't.

[DebbieCDC]

10. Good riddance

A stupid choice on Obama's part.

[Bozita]

11. I think Gupta's the new Harry and Louise.

Look at the timing of this announcement.

He'll be leaving CNN shortly.

Gupta's gonna be the ubiquitous spokesman for the entire healthcare industry. Even Billy Tauzin will bow before him.

Gupta's mission: NO big changes in healthcare.

[ErinBerin84]

12. I never got this appointment

So I think this is good news. Keep him on CNN, he obviously belongs there...

[TahitiNut]

13. Maybe he has an undocumented alien in his household??

:hide:

[iamthebandfanman]

14. Thank goodness.

we didnt need someone who was in denial about the state of health care here in that role

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

15. Good

now get a real doctor in the office--not someone who only plays one on TV.

[Milspec]

19. A practicing neurosurgeon

is not a real Dr.??

[Arkana]

20. NPH for Surgeon General.

[Abq_Sarah]

16. If he'd had tax problems

He'd already be confirmed.

[RepublicanElephant]

17. goodbye obama. hello bobby jindal running mate....

they both LOVE big pharma and insurance companies.

[lib2DaBone]

18. Thank God Dr. Gupta is Gone.... We need a "real" doctor...

..not a TV doctor tied to big Pharma.

[EffieBlack]

24. He's a neurosurgeon with a full practice

I don't understand all of the Gupta hate here. He was a White House fellow who worked for Hillary Clinton - he was very involved in several of her major initiatives and is well-thought of by the people he worked with.

No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.

[area51]

32. The dislike of Gupta

is because he's a big pharma tool who lied repeatedly about the facts brought out in Michael Moore's movie Sicko. He apparently doesn't believe that our healthcare delivery system is broken, and is fine with the status quo. It's okay with him that 100,000 people in the U.S. die every year due to not having access to affordable healthcare.

[LiberalFighter]

21. I hope they found a lot of skeletons in that scuzballs closet!!!!

And those skeletons get leaked all over the news.

[whistler162]

22. According to some reports he is in trouble

for over paying his taxes and it appears he hired a nanny who was born in Denver Colorado!

:sarcasm:

[EffieBlack]

23. Or maybe he just wants to focus more on his family and practice, just as he said n/t

[Quezacoatl]

26. He won't take the pay cut.

[mucifer]

29. He's too greedy to serve his country. I heard on the news he didn't want the pay cut.

[kwenu]

30. It's not the pay cut he knew the salary after he first expressed interest.

[Bluenorthwest]

31. The whole Gupta thing was a nonstarter

He would have taken a massive, repeat, massive paycut. It was never going to happen. The money gap just too large, couple that with not being able to practice as a surgeon...I'm no MD but my guess is a few years away from neuro surgery would be enough to end anyone's ability to practice.
But the main thing is the money. Millions at CNN. Millions. Even if he thought for a minute he might do it, the math was not in his favor. Few will give up millions in hand to have a gig like SG for a low six salary. Many will think about it. Few, if any, will actually do so.