John McCain calls for an 'Ebola Czar' — but the Senate refuses to confirm nominee for Surgeon General

John McCain calls for an 'Ebola Czar' — but the Senate refuses to confirm nominee for Surgeon General
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Arguing "there has to be more reassurance given" and "we don't know exactly who's in charge," Arizona Sen. John McCain voiced (deeply ironic) support for an 'Ebola Czar' to communicate with the public about efforts to combat the deadly virus:

Dr. Vivek Murthy was nominated last November for Surgeon General, but faced stiff opposition from none other than the National Rifle Association, which took issue with Murthy's stance on gun violence:

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While some officials, like former Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, have argued that the Surgeon General is something of a glorified spokesperson lacking meaningful authority to coordinate public health response, that may be particularly vital in this moment of crisis. After all, Dr. Thomas Frieden — the head of the Centers for Disease Control, America's ambassador to the World Health Organization and one of the most familiar faces of the U.S. Ebola response so far — might be a bit too busy to show up on TV and comfort a worried nation.

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Mike Barry is the senior editor of audience development and outreach at TheWeek.com. He was previously a contributing editor at The Huffington Post. Prior to that, he was best known for interrupting a college chemistry class.