NEA chair down; NEH to go. It may be Jim Leach.

Early yesterday morning, I caught the news that Rocco Landesman, a Broadway producer and president of Jujamcyn Theaters, had been appointed chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts; then I went out on an all-day assignment. I expected that, by the time I got home last evening, there'd be a lot of commentary on the choice. But I haven't seen any: people seem to be as mystified as I am by it.* Landesman's press over the years paints him as a dynamo and as outspoken. Other than that, we'll have to wait and see.

About a week ago, I'd picked up word that the Obama Administration was getting close to naming chairs of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the NEA, but the White House press office put me off, saying they had nothing specific to say "for now." But with the NEA job filled, pending Landesman's confirmation, can the NEH nomination be far behind?

I don't think so, so I am going out on a limb here, based on fresh reporting: I think former Republican Congressman Jim Leach of Iowa has the NEH job. His name surfaced as a contender last year in a Chicago Tribune story. Among his attributes: he co-founded the Congressional Humanities Caucus, endorsed Obama last summer, plays into the President's desire to be bipartisan, and is currently a visiting professor at Princeton. And he hasn't gotten any of the financial policy posts his name has been bruited for or an ambassadorial post.

I haven't tied this down completely, but the White House is now "no comment"-ing, rather than suggesting that nothing is imminent. I expect a leak to The New York Times or the Washington Post soon, possibly by Friday. 

Would Leach be good for the job? He knows Washington, and he's well-liked there; that's good. One fear is that he was hoping for a larger job, and didn't get it.

*UPDATE MID-MORNING: some newspapers have weighed in on Landesman, positively, citing various people calling the appointment "bold."