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Amidst an increase in protests against China by pro-Tibetan activists, President Bush said that Chinese leaders should open up talks with the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

Bush gave his remarks at a press conference with Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

"We both agree that it would stand the Chinese government in good stead if they would begin a dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama," Bush said. "They'll find -- if they ever were to reach out to the Dalai Lama, they'd find him to be a really fine man, a peaceful man, a man who is anti-violence, a man who is not for independence but for the cultural identity of the Tibetans being maintained."

Bush also called on China to engage in talks with the Tibetan leader after he awarded him the Congressional Medal of Freedom last October.

The Briefing Room will liveblog today's Senate hearings featuring Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Amb. Ryan Crocker. Starting around 9:30 a.m., the two will give a report on the military surge to the Armed Services Committee. They go before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at 2:30 p.m.

Both Democrats, who are seeking a troop withdrawal, and Republicans, most of whom warn of the consequences of an immediate pullout, will question Petraeus and Crocker over what to expect in coming months, as J. Taylor Rushing reported in today's Hill.

Today's focus will also be on the presidential candidates. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) are on the Armed Services Committee, while Sen. Barack Obama is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Andy Barr, Chris Good and Walter Alarkon will start liveblogging as soon as Petraeus and Crocker's testimony begins.

Photo courtesy of Getty images

6:54 p.m.: The Foreign Relations committee is wrapping up its hearing. Petraeus and Crocker are done with the Senate but will face two house committees tomorrow. As Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told Petraeus and Cocker "good luck."

Biden took one last shot at Crocker before adjourning, "no one thinks there is a diplomatic surge, no one, and we need to be surging."

That concludes the Briefing Room's coverage of the Petraeus-Crocker hearing. Check back at the Briefing Room for coverage of the Iraq debate and any other issue on Capitol Hill or the campaign trail. - A.B.

5:30 p.m.: Breaking from the slower question and answer pace conducted be previous Senators, Obama got through five exchanges with Petraeus and Crocker on topics ranging from al Qaeda in Iraq and increase Iranian influence. Obama attempted to get a clearer view of what Petraeus and Crocker would consider a "end game."

"If the definition for success is so high," Obama said "then that portends the possiblity of us staying for 20 or 30 years."

"If on the other hand we have a messy status quo" that does not "pose a threat," Obama asked "what is an achievable time frame?" - A.B.

5:23 p.m.: Hillary Clinton supporter Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) allowed Barack Obama to jump his place in line in order question Petraeus and Crocker ahead of Nelson because of an Obama scheduling issue. - A.B.

5:10 p.m.: Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D-Calif.) question for Petraeus was interrupted by a Code Pink protesters. When the protesters were not immediately silenced by capitol police Boxer yelled at the protesters to "hush up." - A.B.

4:40 p.m.: Talking about the Iranian Quds force, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) says the group's killing of coalition forces would normally be considered "an act of war." Coleman asked Petraeus what needs to be done to "send the message" that the actions were unacceptable.

Petraeus told Coleman his focus is on Iraq. - A.B.

3:10 p.m.: Ranking Member on the Foreign Relations Committee Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) says the "surge" has had "marginal" impact but that "Iraq will be an unstable country for the foreseeable future, and if some type of political settlement can be reached, it will be inherently fragile." - A.B.

 

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John McCain, speaking in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, said he was wrong to vote against a federal holiday in honor of King. The audience clamored and booed McCain when he acknowledged the vote -- see the video below.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama also spoke about King today, Clinton in Memphis and Obama in Fort Wayne, Ind.

See Clinton's speech here. See Obama's speech here.

House Democrats are gearing up for next week's testimony from Gen. David Petraeus and Amb. Ryan Crocker, and it looks like troop readiness will be the main anti-war argument coming from the party.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sent a "fact sheet" to reporters today citing facts about troop readiness, with quotes from four military officials who say the U.S. military is stretched thin.

Entirely absent from the memo were references to Iraqi politics. Democrats used a lack of political progress in Iraq as their main argument the last time Petraeus and Crocker appeared before Congress to defend the "surge" in September.

Petraeus and Crocker are expected to call for U.S. troop levels to remain unchanged in Iraq in 2008, as indicated by plans they recently presented to President Bush. See Pelosi's fact sheet after the jump. Read more...

On the same day Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson unveiled his plan to overhaul regulation of the financial system, conservative and liberal bloggers are debating what they would do.blackhedd at RedState argues that the best approach is to let the situation work itself out, with some help from the Bush administration using the policies in place. Bailing those out with "dirty hands" will ensure that the same problems will come up again, he claims.Matthew Yglesias agrees with much of what Bill Clinton's former treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers, says; Summers is arguing for the passage of a measure backed by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) that would better protect the public from a financial meltdown. Summers also wants, in general, a broader social safety net for the public, not just financial institutions, Yglesias writes.Chris at AMERICAblog argues that Paulson and the White House must do more than what they're proposing.Michelle Malkin, meanwhile, looks at Hillary Clinton's rhetoric on subprime mortgages, and finds that her campaign manager has contradicted it.FROM THE BLOGS:Politics (and Econ) of Mortgage Relief -- blackhedd, RedState Larry Summers on the Financial Crisis -- Matthew YglesiasBiggest Change Since GOP Helped Create Crisis -- AMERICAblog
Hillary Camp

President Bush set out an agenda for Congress this morning: reform FISA, modernize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and approve his Colombia free trade agreement.

Congress returns today from two weeks of recess, and Bush spoke this morning as he departed from the White House for NATO's summit in Bucharest, which will begin Wednesday. Read more...

President Bush called Chinese President Hu Jintao today to talk about the recent demonstrations and violence in Tibet.

"The President raised his concerns about the situation in Tibet and encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives and to allow access for journalists and diplomats," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said today.

Bush told Hu that the recent election in Taiwan would provide both China and Taiwan an opportunity to settle differences and start anew. He also told Hu he appreciated "the important role China has played within the Six-Party framework," Perino said. The six-party framework refers to discussions between the U.S., China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and Russia about North Korea's nuclear capabilities.

See the Associated Press's timeline of the unrest here. See the full statement by Perino after the jump. Read more...