Better Insist on a Second Opinion

. . . if you spot a "Physician of the Year" award on the wall of your doctor's office. According to this story from ABC News, hundreds of fancy-looking plaques proclaiming this "honor" are being given out by the Congressional Republicans--not in recognition of any professional credential but in return for $1,250 donations to the party's campaign funds.

The whole amazing story is well worth reading. (Give ABC News some credit for a rare display of investigative backbone.) It describes how one curious doctor arranged to accept the award (alongside hundreds of his right-leaning colleagues) at a two-day meeting in Washington that included "a tax-reform workshop as well as appearances by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and President Bush." (And, yes, doctors around the country are now listing these bogus awards on their resumes--and probably snagging a few extra patient referrals in the process.)

So we ask again the perennial question of the past several years: Where exactly is the limit to the Republican Party's shamelessness?