At 50 pounds overweight is the Surgeon General too fat?

Dr. Regina M. Benjamin (pictured) is the overweight African American selected by Barack Obama to be the surgeon general of the United States.

Critics and supporters have commented on photos of Dr. Benjamin's round cheeks, saying she sends the wrong message as the public face of America's health initiatives.

Benjamin is also under fire for being overweight in a nation where 34 percent of all Americans aged 20 and over are obese.

She is reportedly 40 pounds overweight making her obese. Has the United States ever had an obese surgeon general?

More about Dr. Benjamin here.