Today, President Obama named Republican Congressman John McHugh as the 21st Secretary of the Army. And because this is Washington, one of the first questions people asked around here was, “How much was this nomination political?”

McHugh has never served in the military.  But he is a nine-term congressman from New York who is one of the few Republicans who can say he easily wins elections in that traditionally liberal state. He has served on the House Armed Services Committee for 16 years and now is a ranking member. And it is not likely his replacement on the House side will generate the kind of elections results he did. The last election he won 65 percent of the vote. That is, he is the kind of congressman the Republicans hate to lose to a Democratic administration, the thinking goes. 

So how much was his nomination based on qualifications for the job? And how much was based on politics?

To be fair, Capitol Hill has become a popular recruiting spot for the post. McHugh’s predecessor, Pete Geren was a democratic member of Congress when the Bush administration tapped him for the job.

Here is Obama’s statement on the nomination: “Today, I am proud to announce John McHugh as the next Secretary of the Army.  John is a distinguished public servant who will help keep us safe and keep our sacred trust with our soldiers and their families.  He is committed to keeping America’s Army the best-trained, the best-equipped, the best-led land force the world has ever seen.  As Secretary of the Army, he will ensure that our soldiers are trained and equipped to meet the full spectrum of challenges and threats of our time. And John shares my belief that a sustainable national security strategy must include a bipartisan consensus at home, and he brings patriotism and a pragmatism that has won him respect on both sides of the aisle.  I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.”