Doctor in the House

[Geee]

American Thinker:

The above title refers to a recent book written by Congressman Michael Burgess, 26th District in Texas. Dr. Burgess, who for 25 years was a practicing physician (OB/GYN) in North Texas, ran for Congress in 2002 against a famous name in Republican politics. House Majority Leader Dick Armey announced in late 2001 that he would not run again. His son, Scott Armey, the presumptive heir to the seat, began campaigning for the GOP nomination.

Burgess, who relates in the book the fire in the belly he experienced after the 9/11 terrorist attack, began to seek advice on how to run a political campaign. One of his most enthusiastic supporters was Texas State Senator Jane Nelson, who told him he'd "be perfect." With several other aspirants in the race, Burgess ended up in a runoff with Armey, but soon emerged victorious in the runoff and the general election. The book takes the reader on an informative journey that begins with the author's description of his grandfather's medical practice in Canada, followed by his father's medical career that began in Noranda, Quebec, "a tiny mining village in the Canadian wilderness nearly 400 miles northwest of Montreal," but soon moved to the United States, ultimately settling in Denton, Texas.

Describing aspects of his own career, Dr. Burgess writes about the way breast cancer used to be viewed when he started medical school in 1974.