As I see it the problem is not that Dr. Fuhrman disagrees with McDougall, (Esselstyn, Campbell, Barnard, Ornish, Pritikin, Kempner, and all verifiable disease prevention and reversal in the scientific literature), but rather that he has outright ridiculed, insulted, and disrespected them/it.
This is the core problem that must be addressed and rectified in order to put this issue to sleep in a way that will allow everyone to move on.
I think we’ve gotten as much as we can expect from Dr. Fuhrman. Like I said in a previous thread, I doubted he would outright admit to doing anything unethical, as that would be professional suicide.
The most we could've hoped for is that he would strike a more conciliatory tone towards his peers, and, to his credit, that is exactly what he’s done. Doing so in a public forum is an admission that he's fully aware of the disrespectful comments he's made, therefore, we don't need to debate that.
Hopefully, going forward, he'll be careful to make only positive, respectful comments about the other doctors and clear up any of the negative implications he’s left hanging over their work.
But, make no mistake, this is damage control for Dr. Fuhrman. His professional reputation is in shatters after Dr. Campbell’s comments. He can make excuses, and his supporters (or those who dislike conflict) can implore us to stop talking about this, but Dr. Fuhrman must know that these charges will haunt him for many years to come.
I feel some empathy for him because we all do foolish, egotistical things and make mistakes, but this whole mess is his own making. The fallout from his behavior has obviously been coming for some time. I’m sure he had many opportunities to make amends with Dr. Campbell, Dr. Esselstyn, and others privately, yet due to his resistance, he’s now been forced to do so here in a public forum.
Those who support him should accept that Dr. Fuhrman, for all his groundbreaking, pioneering spirit, is a mere mortal and has, unfortunately, shot himself in the proverbial foot.
Please realize that this isn't Dr. McDougall's fault, or Dr. Campbell's fault, or the fault of anyone here for bringing the truth out into the open. It's simply the truth.
Yet, there's really nothing more to be gained by hashing it out further. Dr. Fuhrman has struck a more humbled, conciliatory tone, and, presumably, he's trying to make amends with the other doctors, especially Dr. Campbell, privately.
We'll see if this holds on his board and he fosters a more unified atmosphere. Those of you who are on both boards will have to let us know.
As long as he stops publicly denigrating his colleagues, I think these exchanges have been extremely successful.