A Stealth Surgeon General?

Who's the surgeon general again? And what's he doing these days?

That's what a member of Congress wants to know.

"Most people don't know who he is," complained Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., who himself had to be reminded of Dr. Richard Carmona's name during a congressional hearing Thursday. "Where is he?"

Peterson wants the new surgeon general to become a leader in the fight against the nation's obesity epidemic, and to teach Americans that personal diet-and-exercise choices affect their health.

He cited the example of C. Everett Koop, who made the surgeon general a household name in the 1980s. Koop became famous for battling smoking, and also sent a pamphlet about AIDS to every American mailbox at a time when President Reagan wouldn't talk about the virus.

Koop "drove policy," said Peterson. "There's been a big drop-off in that office."

A spokesman for Carmona said the surgeon general already is an "outspoken advocate for a host of issues," including obesity. William Pierce said that in Carmona's eight months on the job, he has visited nearly half the states and given "near hundreds of speeches" to various groups.

"We'll see more and heightened attention from our part paid," Pierce said.

Peterson told leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that their approach to fighting obesity through community-based programs wasn't enough.