Conyers Tries To Drum Up Opposition To Gupta For Surgeon General

(AP)

The Huffington Post reports that influential Democratic Rep. John Conyers has written a letter to his House colleagues urging them to oppose the nomination of Dr. Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General.

President-elect Obama's outside-the-box selection of Gupta , a CBS News medical contributor and CNN's chief medical correspondent, has been praised in many circles, but Conyers insists Gupta "lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial health care assistance."

Conyers urged his colleagues to sign a letter to Mr. Obama imploring him not to nominate Gupta. The Michigan Democrat cited concerns about Gupta that have been voiced by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and Gerard M. Farrel, Executive Director of the Commissioned Officers Association.

But as the Huffington Post notes, no senator who would vote to confirm Gupta has spoken critically of his nomination.