Obama Holds First Committee Meeting Before Petraeus Hearing

Political Radar:

Everyone is billing the David Petraeus/Ryan Crocker hearings tomorrow as the foreign policy tryout to the American people. But Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is trying to show off his time management skills and chair a quick hearing in the morning too.

So tomorrow morning, while Senators Hillary Clinton (low ranking Armed Services Dem) and John McCain (Ranking Armed Services Republican) are having their moment with Petraeus/Crocker, Sen. Obama will not be resting on his laurels while he waits for his afternoon appointment when the Petraeus/Crocker road show stops at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (where he sits low on the seniority list). Instead, he'll be chairing a subcommittee hearing on several nominations.

Read the whole story: Political Radar

Comments

[Mattie]

wow, I didn't know Obama knew his way to work, has he ever been there before. He only shows up to grandstand for the public, not to ever vote, or do the job he was elected to do. Good for him!

[Texas4Obama]

Mattie-

You really should learn how not to lie in public - it makes you look silly.

Of course Senator Obama votes in the U.S. Senate - he actually has voted more often lately than McCain has!

[StephenS]

Obama has missed 56 more votes than Clinton, but 100 fewer than McCain.

Leaving out Senator Johnson (whose brain hemorrhage had him missing 100% of the votes for a while), the worst Senate vote missers are:

1) 56.8% John McCain (304 missed, 231 cast)
2) 38.1% Barack Obama (204 missed, 331 cast)
3) 33.5% Joe Biden
4) 31.6% Chris Dodd
5) 27.7% Hillary Clinton (148 missed, 387 cast)

Johnson has only missed 7 more than McCain, so McCain will pass him soon...

(In the 109th Congress, McCain missed 58, Clinton 16, and Obama 11.)

[mreeder]

The title of this post is misleading. According to the Senate Foreign Relations website, Obama held his first subcommittee meeting on Feb. 27, 2007, a month or so after assuming the chair. This hearing also had the purpose of reviewing nominations.

[roncraw]

He's the biggest faker in the Senate.

[Texas4Obama]

To all the Hillary supporters (so we can understand your position better) please list your top 5 reasons why you are voting for Hillary Clinton. NOT why you are voting against someone else, but what are the reasons you think Hillary would make a good leader. What is it about her or that she has done that makes her the right choice. Thank you.

[frustratedinohio]

Hillary supporters aren't voting against Obama. If Hillary weren't in this race, I'd be voting for Obama. I have looked forward to voting for her since they left office. I value experience very much. Nobody can match her experience in the White House. She works very hard and has resilience and endurance like nobody I've ever seen. I think she can bring back the economy, just like Bill did. I want to see health care for everyone. EVERYONE! Not just a few. I like her background in working for children. It's high time we end the struggles children are forced to endure in this wealthy country. I appreciate the fact that life has not been totally easy for her. I don't want a priviledged person as president.

I could go on and on. I hope you get the point. Not only do we actually really like her for a lot of good reasons, but there are a lot of us. 12.5 million and counting.

[Mattie]

is there some reason we have to justify our vote to you. I'm sorry I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for making your demand, but why don't you trying doing your own research and find out why she is the better candidate on your own.

[Texas4Obama]

Mattie-

I will take that as a 'you don't have an answer' to my question - it was not a demand. Thank you for your reply.

[MsLiz]

I've been researching the issue for six months and came up empty.

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

1. It's a SUBcommittee, not a Committee.

2. Democrats didn't control the Senate until January 2007, so it's not like Senator Obama has chaired this subcommittee for very long.

3. Senator Kerry's subcommittee oversees the war in Afghanistan, whereas Senator Obama's only oversees the role of NATO in Afghanistan.

4. If Senator Obama's nay-sayers wanted him to have more Senate experience, then Senator Clinton should have run a better campaign-- she is currently positioning herself much more strongly than he is for another term in the Senate.

[joeinvt]

Wow. What news. Obama did something.

[CAPTAIND]

I thought Obama had so much foeign affairs experience as a child he didn't need to attend these foreign relations meetings. I bet Obama is now going to claim that he can be commander in chief because he has military experience playing video war games or maybe toy soldiers as a child. Doesn't anyone get it- Obama is shallow and without any real background for the job he desperately seeks. I know Obama has some childhood and personality issues, but I am more concerned with Obama supporters who are blinded to being conned.

[Texas4Obama]

If you are trying to persuade people to come over to your line of thinking you will have to learn how to write a factual and intellectual argument.

[mammaboy]

Killing two birds with one stone, right Obama? You're such a clock-watcher.

[Texas4Obama]

Great leaders of our time under the age of 50

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated when he was 43
Robert F. Kennedy was running for president when he was 43
Martin Luther King when he was assassinated was only 39

Senator Obama will be inaugurated January 2009 when he will be 47

[robXdion]

When King first came on the scene leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott, he was only 26.

There is a different level of acceptance for a black person. There just is. People won't feel comfortable with Obama unless he was in politics for 30 years, had white hair, passed 50,000 bills, was a former Governor of a predominately white state, single-handedly stopped 2 terrorists attacks, dropped kick 2 dictators, saved 3 babies and 12 cats and dogs from house fires, carried 4 grandmothers across the street THEN he might be eligible to be President. Its called the "Black Curve".

[Politiking]

Poser!

[rubicon101]

"Obama holds first committee meeting before Petraeus hearing"
This headline speaks VOLUMES on the inexperience of Barack Obama!
We might as well just elect some suave, smooth talking social worker from off the street. Part of Obamas appeal is that he is a fresh, new face. It has nothing to do with his experience or lack there of.
The fact that Barack is attracting the majority of 'young' voters is that generaly young first time voters are uninformed on what is needed to run this country in Washington DC today.
Obama has never even attended a committee meeting before! I would recommend that America wake up.
If the Democrat party wants to gain control over the white house come November, they had better consider Hillary Clinton because Barack Obama will not 'cut-it' in the general election.
Reason is that the general election is a 'winner take all' when it come to states and Barack has not won the majority in the biggest states needed to win.
California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, etc... if you think he can win the majority in those states you must be wasting your parents college tuition on marijuana and beer.

[Texas4Obama]

rubicon101 -

You are just wrong.

Obama has attended committee meetings before, just not the one SUB-committee that he recently became chair of and has not had a reason to have a hearing up until now.

Not all Obama supporters are young. I am a white 48 year old woman and I am not an uninformed college student.

Obama WON TEXAS. He received more pledged delegates than his opponent.

Obama will carry California, Ohio, Michigan, etc. in the general election. Those states will support the democratic nominee.

Obama is NOT inexperienced. He has practiced law as an attorney. He has served eight years in the Illinois state senate. He is a U.S. Senator.

Besides, read the U.S. Constitution. It states the only requirement to become a U.S. President is that the person must be 35 years of age or older and must be born in the United States of America.

Now go have a beer and relax a little bit.

[Texas4Obama]

U.S. Constitution - Article 2 Section 1 states:
No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

[kettletop]

Nice try. But Clinton supporters are not interested in Barack Obama. They are currently frustrated because their candidate doesn't really have a snowball's chance, and because their candidate seems to be self-destructing.
But remember that Clinton is not a bad candidate--she is a very strong one who, if there were no Barack Obama in the picuture, you would likely be supporting and hoping would be the first woman president. I would. For many of us 4o something while women, I would suspect that she was our initial choice.
Let's let Barack Obama win the nomination. After that, democrats will have to make some choices which some will see as the lesser of two evils.
In the mean time, let's continue to defend Obama and keep the record straight, but with the courtesy and dignity that has been asked of us. I know that I have been guilty of a bit of ribbing in the past, but we need to realize that she was thought of as inevitable because the base of the party--the people who work with the Democratic Party on the local levels--are mostly Clinton supporters. In our area they are mostly retired ladies and an occasional husband, and they are excited about Clinton and I don't blame them--they are of the same generation. Obama supporters who are you like us (I'm 44 and par of the YOUTH vote!) need to join with our local groups and help see this to the finish.

[TommyMcCarthy]

Obama "just recently" took over his committee fourteen months ago and naturally there really hasn't been anything going on to convene a hearing about.......
after all, it's not like it was an important subcommittee or anything...it's only EUROPE.......what could come up about THAT?

Omama better get himself a pretty big wheelbarrow....'cause that's the only way in hell He'll ever carry Ohio......
No big deal, though...besides Cal. and N.Y., he'll still carry Guam, the Virgin Islands, Americans abroad, Hawaii, Alaska, and Iowa, so he's all set.

Of course, theres all those solidly red states that will be going with McCain...so the big "SWING" states with all the votes will again decide the election, as they have for about the last 140 years or so.Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia.

Nice of Obama to drop by and of course it's a complete COINCIDENCE that he felt the need to convene his first-ever hearing while he's in town.

Manybe he can even find time to drop by the Senate to vote "present" on a few things just to show 'em he's still in CHARGE.

I hope someone speaks up in his hearing to remind him that if he keeps dicking around on Fla. (and to a lesser extent, Michigan),,,,,all the "hope-nchange". will END on election day rather than start.

Who knows what the U.S. will look like after four years under McCain??
Maybe it's Obama should "withdraw" gracefully......................................tm

[rubicon101]

that sounds good but "beer" is not my drug of choice..how about scotch and a puff.

[Seattlelite]

HIllary supporters never seem to bring up the "fact" that she didn't when these BIG states by any overwhelming margins NY and AK yes, but those were expected her home states. She won OH with a 10 point lead again not a big margin. In the end Obama won TX. AND I will also point out that she was declared the nominee 3 months ago running against a person not many people had even heard of. I don't see it being any different against McCain the more Obama campaigns the better he does, that's been proven.

[rubicon101]

well my dear, we bring up the fact because not winning the state outright will get you didley in the general election.

[Siryn]

She won states that are traditional Democratic strongholds. As if they will suddenly vote for McCain in November is a falsity that she would like to spread.

And by the way AK is Alaska not Arkansas.

[Seattlelite]

Rubicon101 here's why Sen. Obama is winning this election -- Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton -- millions of us realize continuing this patter means more of what we already have in WA and will not result in the changes necessary to move the country in a new direction. To many favors owed and to much baggage. I will add also that many of us don't consider 8 years as first lady as experience.

[AjicNYC]

Obama???

(crickets)

Where 4 art thou?

[mammaboy]

Hold on, I'm having a smoke.

[AjicNYC]

wait where is OBAMA ??? How caome he is not at Petraeus/Ryan Crocker hearing

[BrooklynLager]

Because they're testifying in front of the Armed Services Committee, where Clinton serves. Later on, they'll be testifying in front of the Foreign Relations Committee, where Obama serves.

[BrooklynLager]

If anyone can tell me what the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs' actual *job* is, that isn't already under the purview of the higher committee, you get a gold star.

If your answer has anything to do with NATO or Afghanistan, go to the back of the line.

If your answer is "hold meetings", go to the back of the line.

[Ohg]

The honesty or integrity of General Petreaus is not the question. He is not asked to prioritize the Iraq war in the context of other issues facing America................
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/04/08/iraq-in-context-april-8-2008/

[gotalife]

Yeah, he will get a free pass on this outrage like all his lies:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/04/clinton-does-not-lie-but-obama.php

[Mike169]

I see by your posts that you're a Hillary fan. I have no problem with that but as someone who has been watching this right along - what's the attraction to you?

[BrooklynLager]

goatlife, did you write that all yourself? And what does this have to do with anything?