ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The acting surgeon general on Friday deflected criticism from his predecessor that the Bush administration quieted the office for political reasons, saying he has a comfortable freedom to speak with the public.

Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu said former Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona, who served from 2002 to 2006, “had perceptions and feelings – and that’s something that needed to be worked out.”

Carmona told a House committee last month no previous surgeon general had been so hamstrung as him. He said the president’s office muzzled him on controversial issues such as abstinence-based sex education and stem cell research, and recruited him to speak at events meant to benefit Republican lawmakers.

Moritsugu, who took over for Carmona, said he preferred to focus on the positive aspects of Carmona’s tenure. Moritsugu was his deputy.

“Let’s look at what we were able to achieve, as opposed to what we were not able to achieve,” Moritsugu said, citing reports on bone health, smoking, secondhand smoke, disabilities and underage drinking.

“As acting surgeon general I have felt comfortable in the message that I feel is necessary to get out to the American people,” he said.

Moritsugu was in Orlando to speak at a conference on curbing youth drinking. He called it the top killer of those under 21, and said consumption was more prevalent than tobacco and illegal drug use combined.

Moritsugu has made it a top priority since becoming acting surgeon general, but said he has not been persuaded to avoid other important issues.

The White House denied it pressured Carmona to avoid subjects, saying he was given the support to be the nation’s leading voice on health issues.

Bush has nominated Dr. James Holsinger to permanently replace Carmona. Holsinger has been criticized by gay rights groups and public health experts for a paper he wrote 16 years ago that called homosexuality an abnormal function.