The president used a recess appointment to slip Donald Berwick by the senate in order to run the health care program Obama rammed through congress. David Axelrod insisted the president was simply trying to avoid a “circus in the senate“. Axe has a point. Dr. Berwick would have been performing without a net while explaining why he’s “romantic about the NHS (British National Health Service),” what he means by “the darkness of private enterprise,”  and why excellent health care is “by definition redistributional “.

And physicians would have thrilled to his doctor defying comment, ” I would place a commitment to excellence - standardization to the best known method - above clinician autonomy as a rule for care.”  You can read about this and other sayings of Dr. Beriwick in Daniel Henninger’s WSJ column.