As Senators John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama return for hearings today on the Iraq war with commanding General David Petraeus, put on your strategy hat for a moment, and let's think about what you want to achieve from your few hours back at your day job.

Cleary, John McCain is in the best position, as he will get early face time in the first hearing with Petraeus this morning.

I can't imagine McCain really making any "news" when it comes to this hearing, but who knows.  He has talked about Iraq at stop after stop on the campaign trail, and I would really be surprised to see him go off message at all.

I'm sure he will definitely remind viewers and listeners that he was one of the few Republicans to openly knock former Defense Secretary Donald Rumseld around on Iraq.  That was back when McCain's campaign for President was seen as a joke, because after all, he was FOR the surge. 

How times have changed, eh?

If you are a network news producer looking for a good Republican bite in support of the war, why would you pick anyone other than McCain from today's hearings?  He will say things like "the surge is working" and will fit perfectly into a story that has elements of the General, a Republican and a Democrat that opposes the war.

Hillary Clinton is number nine in seniority on the Senate Armed Services Committee, so chances are she won't get the face time that McCain gets as the panel's top Republican.   But everyone will be paying attention when it is her turn.

Now here is the question if you are a Clinton strategist that hasn't been fired in recent days, do you go for the gusto with the General?  Do you verbally smack him around?  Do you begrudgingly acknowledge that there has been progress?  Do you focus your ire on the Iraqi government?

Remember, the news media loves conflict.  But General Petraeus has proven himself in this arena already.  He's pretty smooth and seems unlikely to be drawn into a snappy verbal exchange with Democrats running for President.

Maybe you just make your points, tell a story or two from the campaign trail about how the mother of a solider told you this, or that, etc., and move on.

Here's one wild card of course that either party could do - ask General Petraeus a question, like, "What would happen if the US had to start withdrawing combat troops 60 days after the next President takes office?"

In other words, what would happen if the Democrats win and they want to end the war.

Of course, the Democrats could pose similar type questions and add on that pesky 100-year war thing that John McCain didn't really say, but won't go away.

Onto Obama, he's in the lead on the Democratic side, so he doesn't need to take any chances when you think about it.  Make your points calmly, don't tell the General he's a jerk or anything and move on to the next round.

Chances are that Obama's Q&A won't happen until close to the evening news anyhow, so it's going to get less coverage on the East Coast.  Obama's goal right now is not to make any big time mistakes in the category of Gerald Ford and Poland (Google it if you don't know the answer.)

Actually, I've got a better scenario for Hillary Clinton.  Make your points on Iraq to the General and rip out some snappy sound bites.  Go outside the committee room and speak at the stake out, so that you get some extra video and sound for the radio and TV networks.

Then walk over to the Senate floor where debate continues on a home mortgage foreclosure housing bill and offer as an amendment all of your plans that you've been talking about on the campaign trail.

You must have a legislative staffer who is ready with bill language, right? 

Now you put the manager of the bill, Senate Banking Committee chair Chris Dodd in a pickle.  He's endorsed Obama.  But he doesn't want to look like he's elbowing you out of the picture, does he?  Or maybe he does.

But you go to the floor, try to offer your amendment, and if you are blocked, then you make a big speech about how you have heard the American people, blah blah blah, and there are forces stopping the will of the voters, blah blah blah, etc. 

And you make some extra news while you are back at your day job.

Then you hop in a car and go as fast as you can up I-270, to US 15 and stop in Gettysburg, PA and hold a campaign event.

Not that I really expect anyone to be listening, but just an idea or two....