CAN OBAMA SAVE THE A?
He’s trying, but it isn’t going well so far.
One thing you can say for Dr. Ricardo Azziz: the man is tenacious. And he’s what is sometimes called a company man. That’s someone whose allegiance to his employer comes before personal beliefs or loyalty to fellow workers. Despite poll results (which he requested), he mounted a one man behind-the-scenes campaign to the regents to ensure Augusta would not be in the name of the merged universities. As a result, we have a proposed name that is universally despised. We know of exactly zero people not named Azziz who like it, unless their title is Regent. Despite that, Azziz is steadfast. “It’s a wonderful name that will brand this great institution across the nation.” Well sure, but brand it how? We have the suspicion that if Azziz told a patient he had terminal cancer, he might add, “This particular type of cancer has a wonderful name.”
The Medical Examiner has learned the clamor raised over the GRUA fiasco has reached all the way to the White House. President Obama took time out of his campaign schedule last week to meet with Dr. Azziz, who stubbornly maintained his allegiance to GRUA despite all the vocal opposition the name has faced. After the meeting ended without progress, Obama spoke to reporters. In this clip we obtained from the White House Press Office, the president tries to put a positive spin on the meeting, but if you watch carefully you can see subtle signs of his frustration over the situation here in Augusta.