By a vote of 63-35, the Senate Tuesday confirmed David Satcher--currently director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--to be the next surgeon general, after first invoking cloture in a 75-23 vote.
Satcher was considered a noncontroversial choice when he was nominated last fall, but opposition--led by Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo.--has focused on the fact that he opposes a ban on so-called partial birth abortions.
"This is about abortion," Ashcroft said Monday. "This nomination is about whether a man who champions this horrific act is fit to serve as the nation's family doctor."
But support for Satcher from some Republicans, including Sens. Bill Frist, R- Tenn., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, helped him. "Frankly, I find his life inspiring," Hatch said. "He is an American success story."
The surgeon general's post has been vacant since Joycelyn Elders departed more than three years ago.
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