Bush taps Geren to take top Army job permanently(Sec of the army)

[maddezmom]

Source: Star Telegram

Bush taps Geren to take top Army job permanently
By DAVE MONTGOMERY
Star-Telegram Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Former Fort Worth congressman Pete Geren was nominated to become secretary of the Army on Thursday, less than three months after he was named interim leader of the 1.4 million-employee service in the aftermath of the scandal over the treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

If Geren is confirmed by the Senate, the position will be his fifth -- and highest -- inside the Pentagon since he joined the Bush administration a week before 9-11. Geren is regarded as a seasoned Pentagon troubleshooter who has a good rapport with Democrats and Republicans.

President Bush announced the nomination along with four other appointments. Texas' two Republican senators hailed Bush's decision.

"Pete Geren has a record of distinguished service and will be an exemplary leader for the Army," Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said. Sen. John Cornyn said Geren, who represented Fort Worth as a Democratic congressman from 1989 to 1997, offers "proven leadership."



Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/114302.html