Bush Nominates New CMS Head

President Bush has announced his intention to nominate Kerry Weems as the new administrator of CMS. Weems is currently the deputy chief of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services. Although Weems has been a trusted adviser to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt on budget matters related to federal health spending, it's unusual for such a federal employee to be nominated to a top political position, the Associated Press notes. Still, advocates of Weems say his experience will put him in a good position to run CMS.