White House cools push for surgeon general under pressure from NRA

The White House is backing off its push for quick confirmation of President Barack Obama's pick to be surgeon general amid opposition from the National Rifle Association.

Democrats have been concerned that a vote on Dr. Vivek Murthy could hurt the party's vulnerable incumbents up for re-election in November.

Murthy is the latest nominee to be targeted for defeat by an outside group in the midst of the midterm election campaign. Murthy's support of gun control has drawn the ire of the NRA.

The NRA was the driving force behind the defeat of a push for stronger background checks before purchasing firearms, a move Obama had endorsed.

The White House has decided that, at least for now, it won't push for a vote for Murthy. It's an embarrassing setback for Obama, a week after the Senate blocked his nominee to be the government's chief civil rights attorney, Debo Adegbile.

Adegbile was targeted by the National Fraternal Order of Police for taking on the defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of killing a police officer in Philadelphia. The nomination went to vote, but all Republicans and seven Democrats joined together to block it.

A White House official said the president's staff is "recalibrating" its strategy for Murthy after what happened with Adegbile.

Some Republican politicians saw the move as a victory against the Obama administration and said their doubts about Murthy went beyond gun control. They voiced concerns about Murthy's political advocacy and lack of experience as a practicing physician.

Murthy, 36, is backed by numerous medical groups and would be the first Indian-American surgeon general.

"The White House was terribly embarrassed that their nominee for the Justice Department failed," Barrasso said in a telephone interview Friday. "I don't think they saw it coming. They had (Vice President) Joe Biden in the chair to break a tie and it wasn't even close."

The White House argued that approval ratings for their nominees, at 76.6%, are virtually the same as former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, at 77.9%.

"This administration has adopted the highest ethical standards in history, and the caliber of our nominees and their preparedness to serve reflect that high bar," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.

"Similar to previous administrations, all appointments are thoroughly vetted. But current congressional Republicans have made no secret of the extraordinary lengths they will go to obstruct the confirmation process."

The Associated Press