Signs: Ye Coach House Curry

So in last weekend's New York Times Magazine they interview Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach the current FDA commissioner. He is asked about his predecessor, Lester Crawford, who resigned in scandal because he and his wife owned stock in FDA regulated companies. That is he was in a position to grant FDA approval to drugs for companies that he owned a financial interest. Um, this is obviously ILLEGAL and UNETHICAL, and Dr. Crawford is being sentenced next week. Asked about this, the new FDA head says: "It's very sad that these circumstances have occurred and that he and his family are facing this."

Now, I know that outrage is just useless in this administration, but wouldn't you want the new head of the FDA to say something against illegally profiting from companies that you are supposed to be policing? Like gee wow, I feel bad for his lack of judgment, but you obviously can't have the fox GUARDING the chickens. And I have set up my finances in a blind trust administered by so and so with the stipulation that all drug companies will not be assets in the blind trust. Dr. Von Eschenbach also said about his opinion as a cancer doctor about regulating nicotine as a drug he said "As cancer doctors, we have looked at the consequences of tobacco, of which nicotine is a component, but in which there are many other components." Well, gee, where do I start? First he didn't answer the question. And you can be against regulating tobacco and nicotine and also be against cancer. But he really sounds like he started out being one of those RJR shills - paid to obfuscate the fact that cigarette smoking and tobacco cause cancer. He may have looked at the consequences of tobacco, emphysema, cancer; but he seems mildly amused by them.

This administration's ability to find and promote complete amoral greedy people gives crony capitalism a new name. KBR not doing enough for Cheney's portfolio - let's have a fraudulent war!