Howard Dean as Surgeon General?

Earlier last week, The Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky first floated the idea of nominating Howard Dean to fill the vacant Surgeon General post. Over the past few days, many media outlets have written articles exploring the possibility that the former Vermont Governor, doctor, and DNC Chairman might be picked. Now, CNN is reporting that the White House is giving consideration to Dean:

Howard Dean, a practicing physician before entering politics, was under consideration by the Obama administration for the post of U.S. surgeon general, CNN reported Friday. […]

CNN said two White House officials noted that, while it is too early to compile a list of candidates for surgeon general, they did not rule out Dean getting the job.

“I would not dismiss it,” one of the White House officials said of the possibility that Dean will be selected.

In an interview with HuffPost, Dean said he was “pretty clear” that he was interested in becoming Secretary of HHS. In a subsequent interview with ThinkProgress, Dean discussed “the brilliance of Barack Obama’s [health care] plan.”