Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa) has been appointed by President Barack Obama to be the new chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. Leach, who represented Iowa in Congress for 30 years before a surprising 2006 defeat at the hands of Democrat Dave Loebsack, made headlines in 2008 when he publicly endorsed Obama for president over Republican John McCain. Last November, Leach and former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright served as emissaries for President-elect Obama at the international economic summit....