Obama continues to reach across the aisle

Obama picks NY Republican for Army secretary

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama picked a Republican congressmen to be the next secretary of the Army Tuesday, bringing another member of the opposition into his administration's fold.

Obama said New York Rep. John McHugh is "committed to keeping America's Army the best trained the best equipped, the best land force the world has ever seen."

McHugh will make sure the country's troops can handle the new kinds of combat in the 21st century, including nonconventional warfare, the president said.

McHugh has represented upstate New York in Congress since 1993, and is the top Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee.
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If confirmed, McHugh's appointment would set off a special election for the House seat he's held for nine terms. Democrats held on to a conservative district in the state earlier this year after Kristen Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate to fill Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's vacant seat.

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