McHugh confirmation as Army Secretary this week?

The Army Times is reporting that high-level talks between two Republican Senators and the Obama administration could lead to the confirmation of John McHugh as Secretary of the Army this week.

Kansas’ conservative delegation has used the confirmation process as leverage to win concessions from President Obama on the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) told the Army Times that the “blockages could be removed” in time for approval this week.

Levin chairs the Senate Armed Services committee.

McHugh, himself a Republican, was appointed by the Obama administration in the spring. His confirmation was considered an easy sell in Washington until it got tangled up in the terrorism debate.

If McHugh is confirmed, it would mark another step in the battle to replace him in the House of Representatives.

Three candidates — Republican Dede Scozzafava, Democrat Bill Owens, and Conservative Doug Hoffman — have organized aggressive campaigns.

The special election vote is expected to come in early November.

Tags: military