LaHood for DOT Secretary

La who? Ray LaHood, a long time Republican Congressman from central Illinois. Here's the story, and his wiki site, his voting record. He appears to be a maverick of sorts.

He last made news when he condemned Palin for not controlling her 'vitriolic' crowds on the campaign trail, much to the delight of HuffPo's commenters. In 2007 he declared his retirement from the House and was lauded by members on both sides:

“He has given his all to public service,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.),the Democratic caucus chairman and a longtime LaHood friend.

Indeed he's described as a friend of Obama and Emanuel. During 2007 he visited Bush in DC for a friendly chat about an exit strategy from Iraq. After a phone call from the prez he said claimed he wasn't "bailing", though.

Some on the far right might be tempted to make an issue out of the fact he's on the House Arab-American committee, being of Arab descent. But he's Catholic. As to the current troubles with the llinois governor:

"Look, Governor Blagojevich can be characterized in two words; stupid and greedy. There is no other way to say it.

Hey--Obama said he wanted people with strong opinions. It remains to be seen how he'll come down on things like user fees for general aviation, FAA restructuring, or passenger rail initiatives. Obama seems to like trains, and we know how Biden feels about them.