"Ray LaHood? Really?!?"

Obama has just picked another Republican for his Cabinet. This time it's Rep Ray LaHood from Obama's home state of Illinois. He's going to be - wait for it! - Transportation Secretary.

President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday picked Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Illinois, to be his transportation secretary, two sources tell CNN.

Obama will formally announce his choice of LaHood, a seven-term congressman from Peoria, at a press conference in Chicago on Thursday morning, the sources said.

LaHood is well-respected by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Now before y'all jump on my neck for criticizing Obama's choice without "giving him a chance", I just want to point out that I haven't criticized him. I can't. There's nothing to criticize. There's nothing to evaluate. There's, well, nothing.

“Ray Lahood? Really?!?” That was the reaction from the transportation and community development coordinator at the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology when I relayed the news that the retiring seven-term Republican congressman from Peoria was being considered as Secretary of Transportation in the incoming Obama administration. “You’ve left me totally dumbfounded. Ray LaHood?”

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So what can we glean about LaHood's record on this issue? The moderate Republican has broken with his party over Amtrak funding, voting yes last summer to expand passenger rail service. In 2005, he told the Peoria Journal-Star that “we’ve got a good Amtrak system in Illinois and I don’t think we want to destroy it by talking about privatization.” In 2006, he received a 66 percent rating from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, a major transportation construction lobby. He also voted in favor of the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008, a bill to promote increased public transportation use that garnered string bi-partisan support. Other than that, we know very little.

So as I understand this, LaHood - a Gingrich Republican, btw - is going to be SecTrans because the road builders' association likes him and he once said something nice about Amtrak?

Hey. My high school English teacher liked me and I once said something nice about the NEA. Can I be EdSec instead of Arne? Oh, wait. I'm not a Republican. Too bad.

Note: No Dear Leaders were overtly criticized or devalued in any way during the making of this post.