Obama picks Rep. LaHood for DOT

Obama picks Rep. LaHood for DOT President-elect Barack Obama has selected Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois as his nominee to be secretary of transportation, according to multiple media accounts citing Democratic Party and Obama transition sources.
   LaHood, 63, is retiring from the House of Representatives after 14 years in office. He is well respected by Democrats and Republicans alike for his bipartisan approach to issues. LaHood, an Arab-American Catholic by background, and Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, a Jewish-American, forged a strong relationship when both were members of Congress earlier this decade.
   Political analysts say LaHood was a loyal Republican with a streak of independence and that he did not have political enemies because of his pragmatic and genial approach. LaHood is a member of the Appropriations Committee and a former member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he took an interest in freight rail issues.
   As transportation secretary, he will play a key role in shaping a new national transportation policy, modernizing the Federal Aviation Administration and deciding how to implement billions of dollars in infrastructure investment in the upcoming economic stimulus and highway reauthorization bills.
   LaHood is the second Republican selected by Obama for his Cabinet. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is staying on under Obama, is also a Republican. ' Eric Kulisch