Dr. Regina Benjamin, President Obama's Pick as the Next Surgeon General, Comes Under Fire for Being Overweight

I wondered how long it would take the haters to attack Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, President Obama's pick for the next surgeon general, but I can't believe that they would attack her on the basis of her looks, actually her weight. Let's not forget that this woman was hailed as a MacArthur Grant genius, who had championed the poor at a medical clinic she set up in Katrina-ravaged Alabama. I guess full-figured women have to worry about our weight when we seek gainful employment. Critics and supporters across the blogosphere have commented on photos of Benjamin's full-figure, saying she sends the wrong message as the public face of America's health initiatives.

Spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services Jenny Backus issued this statement: "Dr. Benjamin is a highly qualified physician who has dedicated her life to providing care to her patients. She is a role model for all of us, and will be an outstanding surgeon general."

Wait, if her weight is such a big issue, then didn't President Obama admit that he smoked cigarettes in the past, which can be very harmful to your health. Or better yet, didn't President George W. Bush admit to a drinking problem? Does her weight really undermine her credibility? I think it's pretty obvious that Dr. Benjamin can fulfill her duties with the passion, knowledge and integrity the position calls for.

Fox News' Neil Cavuto and guest Michael Karolchyk discuss Dr. Benjamin's weight. Listen and hear the low level of intelligence being spewed by Karolchyk.

Dr. Benjamin is 50 pounds overweight. She is obese. She's a size 20. [...]
Ok, let's then turn the tables. Would you then want the head of the Fed Reserve to be a guy in a cardboard box who lives underneath the highway because because he understands the plight of poor people and he understands how to make money work? [...] Would you want Michael Jackson's doctors to be in charge of drug control at the DEA? The bottom line is it's a symbolic position and obesity is the number one issue facing our country in terms of the health and wellness and she has shown not that she was born this way, not that she woke up one day and was obese, she has show through being lazy, and making poor food choices, that she's obese.

How ignorant and why was this fool given a platform to spew such garbage?