Heavy hitters backing Leavitt

While acknowledging there have been successes, advocates for the poor worry that the waiver has led to reduced medical care for the truly needy, and that the very poor don't have proper dental and vision care. And now they worry this plan could become a blueprint for national Medicaid reform.

Some women's groups have sounded the alarm about Leavitt's pro-life stance and have resurrected a 1997 quote wherein Leavitt said he wanted Utah to have "the toughest abortion law in the nation."

They also pointed out that Leavitt signed into law bills that were later struck down by the federal courts.

And Leavitt has some opposition from the far right. Tony Perkins with the Family Research Council told Washington Update that his organization "won't be decking the halls or donning our gay apparel on the appointment."

And Peter Brandt with Focus on the Family said he is worried about Leavitt's track record, although the group has stated it will not oppose the nomination.

"This is the man who, as Utah governor, vetoed a law that would have required that students be exposed to a strong abstinence-until-marriage and fidelity-thereafter message," he told Citizen Link.

Brandt also said Leavitt, as Utah governor, gave federal money intended for abstinence programs to Planned Parenthood.

"He also decided that sponsoring hockey leagues was an appropriate use of abstinence-only funding," he said. "His history leaves us somewhat uneasy as to where he will be when it comes to these important programs."

As secretary of HHS, Leavitt would oversee dozens of federal agencies and programs encompassing some of the most volatile issues in American politics, from abortion and stem cell research to Medicaid reform and drug testing.

What does Leavitt have to say about all the criticism? Utahns will find out Tuesday and Wednesday. Until then, he is being sequestered — as all nominees are — from the media.

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E-mail: spang@desnews.com