For the second day in a row, President Obama is appointing a Republican to a plum administration post. The White House just announced that former Rep. Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who lost his seat in an upset in 2006, will be appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Leach endorsed Obama in the 2008 campaign, heading up the "Republicans for Obama" committee. He also spoke at the convention in Denver. Some thought Leach would be tapped as the ambassador to China, a post that went to another Republican, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

"I am confident that with Jim as its head, the National Endowment for the Humanities will continue on its vital mission of supporting the humanities and giving the American public access to the rich resources of our culture. Jim is a valued and dedicated public servant and I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead," Obama says in a statement.

The NEH is "an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities."