Short takes: White House Iraq huddle, SFRC hearings

President Barack Obama meets with Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Christopher Hill, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, at the White House situation room this afternoon. Later, Obama will meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Vice President Joseph Biden.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton briefed the press herself yesterday, welcoming the news that Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi had been released from prison in Iran. Clinton also introduced the State Department's new spokesman, Ian Kelly, and thanked Robert Wood for serving as spokesman during the transition. Wood will stay on as the deputy spokesman. (Kelly's nominated boss P.J. Crowley is slated to have his confirmation hearing tomorrow.)

Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke testifies on U.S. strategy toward Pakistan before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, at 10:15am, Senate Dirksen-419.

At a business meeting preceding Holbrooke's testimony, the SFRC will discuss the confirmation of two candidates whose nominations were placed on hold last week by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC): the Honorable Harold H. Koh, who has been nominated to be the State Department legal advisor, and Susan Burk, to serve as the special representative of the president for nuclear nonproliferation.

Tomorrow, the SFRC holds confirmation hearings for P.J. Crowley to serve as assistant secretary of state for public affairs, and Daniel Benjamin to serve as coordinator for counterterrorism, with the rank of ambassador at large.

On Thursday, it holds confirmation hearings for Jeffrey Feltman to become assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs (he's been serving as the acting), and for U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake to serve as assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs, with Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) chairing the hearing.

UPDATE: At (Tuesday) morning's business meeting, the SFRC voted out the confirmations of Koh and Burk to proceed to the full Senate.

"The nomination of Harold H. Koh to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State was ordered reported by a roll call vote of 12-5," a committee notice said. "The nomination of Susan Burk to be Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Non-proliferation was ordered reported by a roll call vote of 17-0."