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Friday, January 16, 2004The doctors Dean seem to be in need of some tips on togetherness and building a healthy political marriage, if that's not an oxymoron. Even by the transcendentally wacky standard for political unions set by Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Deans have an unusual relationship. ....Many women cheered Judy Steinberg as a relief and a breakthrough. Why should she have to feign subservience in 2003, or compromise as Hillary Rodham and Teresa Heinz did when they took their husbands' names? But many political analysts said that just as the remote technocrat Michael Dukakis needed Kitty around to warm him up, the emotionally chilly Howard Dean could benefit from the presence of someone who could illuminate his softer side. So far he has generated a lot of heat but little warmth. And at a moment when he's under attack by Democratic rivals for reinventing his political persona and shifting positions, he could use a character witness on the road to vouch for his core values ....Even some who admired Dr. Steinberg's desire to stay focused on her own life, healing the sick, still thought it odd that she would be so thoroughly disengaged from her husband's wild political ride, missing the thrilling moments and the poignant ones, like the repatriation ceremony of his brother's remains in Hawaii. ...."What will she tell their grandkids?" wondered one political reporter here. "Yeah, Grandpa was once a front-runner for president with crowds all over America cheering him but I was too busy to go see it?" It will be interesting to see, if her husband falters, whether the exigencies of politics will require her to make a house call on his campaign. Physician, heal thy spouse. It's a mistake to judge a person by their spouse - in real life and in politics. Any "softening" of Howard Dean's image would just be an illusion. It's far better that we get him unfiltered through the lens of his wife. And another reader, also a physician, supports Dr. Steinberg's decision: As a pulmonary physician, I found your reader's comments about Dr. Steinburg (1/14) rather offensive. Dr. Steinburg is a hematologist. As you certainly know, that's a very busy specialty; she's taking care of leukemia and bone marrow transplant patients among others. [hematologists usually also double as cancer specialists, so it's safe to say that she has patients with intensive medical and emotional needs -ed.] It would certainly be a breach of the trust her patients have in her if she just took off suddenly to campaign with Gov. Dean. Sure, she can arrange coverage like we all do, but her patients certainly expect her to be there for them more often than not. Dr. Steinburg could decide to put her practice on hold for a while; I suspect she could pick it up again afterward if the Governor doesn't win (though it wouldn't be easy). But having made a commitment to see her patients, she needs to be there for them. I admire her for taking the position she has. Gov. Dean has a lot of problems, and I don't intend to vote for him. But his wife's career really ought to be out of bounds. A final comment: I'm a fellowship director, so I get to write evaluations of my trainees. The message in Dr. Dean's evaluation came through loud and clear! Wonder if he had the nickname "Mad Dog" back at Yale? posted by Sydney on 1/16/2004 08:28:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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