Politico: Kerry is Huddling with Obama at Petraeus' Senate Hearing. "Photographers went nuts."

[flpoljunkie]

September 11, 2007

Kerry is huddling with Obama

Kerry just went over and sat with Obama, who will be the next Democrat to question Petraeus and Crocker after Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Laura Murkowski (R-Alaska). The photographers went nuts, since it gave them a chance to get Kerry and Obama in one frame. I will ask each man what the other said when I get a chance.

Also, let me note that Republicans are leaving the hearing after they ask their questions, although Democrats have stayed put. Hagel, Coleman, Corker and Sununu have all departed, while among Democrats, the only one who looks like he left is Feingold.

By John Bresnahan 12:19 PM

http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0907/Kerry_is_huddling_with_Obama.html

[Colobo]

1. Kerry and Gore should endorse Obama.

[polichick]

2. Where are the pics of the handsome twosome? nt

[flpoljunkie]

4. Am looking, that's for sure. Will put them up as soon as I find any.

[babylonsister]

3. They're colleagues. Now they can't chat? And I welcome a pic of them

together!

I find it more interesting that the rethugs are bailing; not important enough for them?

[Adelante]

5. Great they're working together on this

:)

[Bitwit1234]

6. Oh gee they both are senators aren't they.

Don't they usually talk to each other. Or do they all sit fifty feet away and use cell phones.

[ieoeja]

7. So Republicans are not listening to Petraeus?

When they accuse Democrats of not being interested in what General Patraeus has to say, be sure to throw this back in their faces.

[Major Hogwash]

8. No, they only appeared at the hearing to ask their prepared questions to his prepared answers.

To make it "look" like they are connected to the real world somehow.

The disconnect the Republicans have to reality is going to cost them next year.

As the big Dick would say, "big time."

[flpoljunkie]

9. Finally, a photo!

Senator John Kerry (L), D-MA, and Senator Barack Obama, D-IL, talk during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with testimony from the US Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on the state of the war in Iraq on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Anti-war Senate Democrats bluntly told Petraeus Tuesday his troop surge strategy was an abject failure in its prime objective -- forging an Iraqi political settlement.(AFP/Tim Sloan)

[polichick]

10. Thanks! :) nt

[beachmom]

11. More from Salon. I am as intrigued as you are:

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/09/11/obama/index.html

When John Kerry stopped by Barack Obama's chair during today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iraq, the news photographers in the room couldn't resist the moment. They turned away from Gen. David Petraeus and, in an explosion of shutter clicks, captured a conversation between presidential candidates past and present.

What did the two discuss? We don't know. But when it came time for Obama to put questions to Petraeus and ambassador Ryan Crocker, the junior senator from Illinois was ready with a speech instead. The performance of the troops? "Outstanding." Petraeus and Crocker? "Doing the absolutely best that you can given an extraordinarily difficult situation." But as soon as he said those words, Obama complained that the mission on which Petraeus and Crocker have been sent is nearly impossible, and that they've "punted" each time they've been asked about the larger strategy they're implementing.

Obama said the Petraeus/Crocker hearing should not have been scheduled on "9/11, 9/10 or 9/12" because having it so close to the sixth anniversary "perpetuates the notion that somehow the original decision to go into Iraq was somehow directly related to the attacks of 9/11." He said that if the American people had known the truth about the war from the beginning -- the time it would take, the money it would cost, the lives it would claim, the damage it would do to America's strategic interests -- they would have declared it a "bad deal" from the start.


More at the link.

[fujiyama]

12. Hmmm....

Is an endorsement coming?

And how effective would it be?

Endorsing Obama would make a lot more sense on Kerry's part than backing either Edwards or Hillary. Both have in some ways dissed him since the election. Personally I don't see a chance in hell of Kerry endorsing Hillary in the primaries after she stabbed him in the back after his joke a couple months ago. And Edwards and Kerry don't seem like the best of buds either...

[MonkeyFunk]

13. Why would two Senators

serving on the same committee talking to each other imply an immiment endorsement? I don't get it.

[Colobo]

15. Let's hope it is. It would be an intelligent decision by Kerry,

[fujiyama]

16. I agree...

This by itself means nothing.

It's just mindless political pontification!

[illinoisprogressive]

14. At least Kerry knows he won't be stabbed in the back by Obama

[venable]

18. meaning what? nt

[fujiyama]

20. Likely referring to Hillary's very opportunistic criticism of Kerry's botched joke last October...

[venable]

21. ah, yes. nt

[venable]

17. BREAKING NEWS! TWO SENATORS SPEAK ON SENATE FLOOR!

i find it a little embarassing that this is news-worthy or thread-worthy.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. That's "Lisa" Murkowski...

Minor detail.