WASHINGTON - Could Democrats orchestrate next week’s hotly anticipated Senate hearings on Iraq to give the limelight to party White House hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton?

“Of course not. The American people want a discussion of policy,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin of Michigan said.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden agreed: “The biggest mistake we can make is politicizing, looking at this in terms of political advantage and disadvantage. The American people are sick of this crap.”

The two committee chairmen were responding to questions from reporters who wondered if they might allow the Democratic candidates to speak earlier than they would ordinarily.

Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the top two U.S. officials in Iraq, will appear before the Levin and Biden committees on Tuesday to deliver a progress report and recommend how quickly U.S. forces can be withdrawn in the waning months of the Bush administration.

One reporter wanted to know if Biden would allow Obama, the junior Illinois senator on his committee, to speak ahead of presidential rival John McCain, the panel’s senior Republican.

“McCain is the ranking guy. So he’s going to get to speak first,” Biden responded.

But while rejecting any notion of partisanship, Biden appeared to suggest the subject matter could have campaign implications for McCain, who supports a Republican war strategy that Democrats say has failed.

“I think it’s good to hear what McCain has to say. I love the idea of McCain having to explain what’s going on here and why this is working so well,” Biden said.

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WASHINGTON — Speculation about who would make a good vice presidential running mate for Republican John McCain ranges all the way from party also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney to Democrat Bill Richardson. But a new Gallup survey shows the largest bloc of rank-and-file Republicans — 31 percent — are those who cannot name a candidate for the job.

The next biggest group, 21 percent, prefer the choice marked “other.”

Huckabee and Romney, who were both defeated by McCain in the Republican presidential primary race, led the pack of named choices with 18 percent and 15 percent, respectively, in the telephone survey conducted March 24-27.

Some 8 percent of 453 Republicans and Republican-leaning voters polled would like to see Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as vice president.

She was followed by the “no opinion” category which drew 5 percentage points.

Then came three other former Republican hopefuls: Fred Thompson with 4 percent; and Ron Paul and Rudy Giuliani with 2 percent apiece.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who has appeared at campaign events with McCain, also got 2 percent.

Former Democratic presidential hopefuls John Edwards and Bill Richardson each drew 1 percent.

Gallup said the results have a 6 percentage-point error margin.

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Photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed (McCain speaks at the Naval Academy in Annapolis on April 2)

WASHINGTON - Democratic voters in Pennsylvania are hearing all about presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s views on issues like Iraq and the economy — but where does he stand on those small but all-important, getting-to-know-you questions?

For instance, does the Illinois senator prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? “Rolling Stones,” he answered without hesitation in a Tuesday interview with NBC’s “Today Show.”

And he went on in rapid-fire succession, not shying away even from his recent underwhelming performance in a Pennsylvania bowling alley.

COFFEE OR TEA? — “Tea.”

WHICH PRESIDENT WOULD HE MOST WANT TO BE LIKE? — “Lincoln.”

WHY? — “He never lost sight of the humanity of even those who opposed him.”

IS HE SURE GOD EXISTS? — “Yes.”

HOW OFTEN DOES HE PRAY? — “Once a day, sometimes twice a day. It depends on the day.”

BEST THING HIS MOTHER TAUGHT HIM? — “Empathy, making sure that you can see the world through somebody else’s eyes, stand in their shoes. I think that’s the basis for kindness and compassion.”

WHICH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM DOES HE LIKE, THE CHICAGO CUBS OR CHICAGO WHITE SOX ? — “White Sox”

BASKETBALL OR BOWLING? — “Basketball.”

NOT BOWLING? — “Not bowling. You saw those gutter balls. But you know what? That shows that I’m willing to try new things.”

WHAT MAKES HIM LOSE SLEEP? — “When I lose sleep at night, it is not because I am worrying about what’s going to happen in Pennsylvania or Indiana or how we’re going to resolve this contest. I lose sleep at night because I think about being president and all the challenges we have to face out there.”

Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Cohn (Obama speaks at a campaign event in Pittsburgh on March 28)

WASHINGTON - The heat of the U.S. presidential race is not driving Republican Mike Huckabee out of the kitchen, especially when free television air time is on the menu.

The former Arkansas governor and Baptist minister appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” show on Friday to give his blessing to a macaroni-and-cheese recipe contest among news personalities, including co-hosts Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts. 

Huckabee, with his trademark likeable-guy style, delivered a tongue-in-cheek message about the culinary contest’s impending finale.

“The most heated contest in America is not even dealing with presidential politics. It has to do with the mac-and-cheese challenge here on Good Morning America,” said Huckabee, who has fallen behind Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the Republican contest to run in November’s election.

“This thing is getting hot, and a lot of people are watching to see who has the best recipe.”

Huckabee, who reported a relatively scant $1.9 million in campaign cash heading into 2008, also played on the typical candidate voice-over at the end of paid political ads. 

“I’m Mike Huckabee and I approve this message and the mac-and-cheese,” he said.

His endorsement of the calorie-rich recipe contest was an unusual choice for a candidate who has promoted his own ability to lose 110 pounds (50 kg) after being diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes.

Huckabee has written a book extolling his own weight loss as well as the value of a healthy diet.

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Photo credit: Reuters/Robert Galbraith. Mike Huckabee makes a point during the Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, California, Jan. 30.