Califf's agenda

Senate Democrats and Republicans last week drove a stake through allegations that Robert Califf's past interactions with pharmaceutical companies render him unsuitable to serve as commissioner of FDA. Strong bipartisan support from the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee shifts the conversation from whether Califf will be confirmed to what he can accomplish in the fleeting time before the curtain falls on the Obama administration.

Theoretically, the next president could retain Califf, but realistically he can't count on spending much more than a year in the top job. ...