Kind of out of the blue: Roemer for DNC chair?

According to CNN

Reid and Pelosi are backing former Indiana congressman and 9/11 commission member Tim Roemer in the multi-candidate race, according to senior Democratic party sources.
With their support, Roemer immediately has an advantage over the declared candidates, former presidential candidate Howard Dean and former Clinton aide Harold Ickes.
Reid is strongly encouraging a Roemer bid, according to the sources.
Roemer was not immediately available for comment.
Roemer's experience on the 9/11 commission, together with the fact that he comes from a "red state" -- one that voted for President Bush -- were decisive factors in Reid's decision to back him, the sources said.

Some general information here

Tim Roemer is president of the Center for National Policy (CNP) and a distinguished scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a non-profit research and educational institution dedicated to improving public policy outcomes. Prior to joining CNP, Roemer was a partner at Johnston and Associates. From 1991-2003, Roemer represented the Third District of Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Science.
Before running for Congress, he served on the staffs of John Brademas of Indiana (1978-1979) and Senator Dennis DeConcini of Arizona (1985-1989). He holds a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, Calif., and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Notre Dame University. While he was in Congress Roemer was recognized for his successful leadership on bipartisan legislation to balance the budget, reform welfare, improve the affordability of higher education, and reform elementary and secondary education for school children. He was appointed to the Intelligence Committee's Task Force on Homeland Security and Terrorism and served on the bipartisan Joint Inquiry which issued a report on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was the key author of the legislation in the House of Representatives to establish the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

His voting record (pretty conservative) here, including ACLU ratings (20% and 44% ), and also here

I no nothing about this guy.  Anyone has anything to share?  On the surface he looks like safe DLC pick, but may be there is more to him...Although I don't see it so far.