Michael D. Shear and Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post take a closer look at the news that Dr. Sanjay Gupta would not be taking the Surgeon General position.

“One source close to him said Gupta was very disheartened by [Tom] Daschle‘s fate and fearful he was not going to get a prominent role in the health-care reform process,” they write. “Gupta has built a lucrative media empire that includes appearances on CBS as well as CNN and book deals. Soon after his interest in the job became public, he had expressed concern to friends about the financial impact on his wife and children.”

On Larry King Live last night, Gupta played down the financial reasoning. “That’s a sacrifice we were willing to make…That really wasn’t a consideration for me,” he said.

Gupta will continue in his role as CNN and CBS host and correspondent, and practicing surgeon.

He also appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 last night. Click continued to see his appearance…

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