Dentist visit beats Senate grilling for gov't official

By Gabrielle Russon

Thomas Moore had an appointmenrt with his dentist today. But it came at an awkward time, just as the Consumer Products Safety commissioner was scheduled to attend a congressional hearing.

So after testifying for about six minutes, Moore headed out, leaving the commission’s acting chairwoman alone to fight off criticism that the agency wasn’t aggressive enough in stopping tainted Chinese-manufactured products from appearing on American shelves.

“Are you leaving?” Nancy Nord asked as Moore stood up to make his exit. “Can I come with you?”

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, a sudden break from talk about lead-based paint, Chinese exports and Thomas the Tank Engine recalls.

“You’re facing your own dentist here,” a man told Nord.

“This is a sad day when you’d rather go to the dentist,” she shot back.

And then, without skipping a beat, the hearing continued.

Minus Moore, of course.