Is McHugh a pawn in White House politics?

Rep. John McHugh is winning almost universal praise today. He’s expected to win easy confirmation as Army Secretary.

But some pundits are viewing his nomination as part of a wider strategy by the Obama Administration to eliminate Republican moderates.

Here’s Politico’s take:

It’s an event that’s happening with enough frequency to suggest the presence of a design, a plan that not only sketches the outline of a reelection strategy but manages to drive a wedge into the opposition at the same time. Call it a Sherman’s March in reverse — an audacious attempt by Obama to burn down any lines of escape for Republicans from their one refuge of popularity, the deep South.

Here’s Time magazine:

For all his pledges to practice bipartisan politics, President Barack Obama’s cross-aisle appointments are never strictly olive branches. By tapping Republican Congressman John McHugh for Secretary of the U.S. Army, Obama has snatched away a stalwart member of the GOP’s shrinking congressional delegation in New York state.

And the Wall Street Journal:

It’s also another step in the depletion in the already exceedingly thin ranks of congressional Republicans from the Northeast. All of the New England states already are devoid of Republican House members. And McHugh is one of only three Republicans left in the 29-member New York delegation—a delegation that once was a bastion of moderate Republican strength.

Of course, it doesn’t have to work that way. If the GOP can get its act together and field a strong, local candidate, the 23rd remains a highly winnable district.