Does Kerry generally pose and smile for no one?

Last night on the FoxNews Channel John Kerry spokeswoman Mary Beth Cahill claimed foul play concerning the newly released NASA photos of Kerry. Cahill claimed that someone had "leaked" these photos that were not supposed to be taken.

HUME: So the campaign had no idea there would be any photographs.

CAHILL: None.

HUME: When it was agreed he would put on his [sic]th costume.

CAHILL: There was no press there. there was -- nothing. All of the sudden these photographs are out.

The thing that puzzles me as well as many others is this--if no one knew that pictures were being taken, then 1. Who was Kerry smiling at in these pictures? 2. What did he think was happening when he posed with those other guys in the picture? (Does he usually do that for fun?), and 3. How did he not see the cameras? Come on.

Here are some pictures to illustrate my points:

Definitely looks like he's saying "cheese" here.

Like I said, does he usually hang out (pose) with the guys like this?

Now, if anyone has gotten Kerry into hot water in this situation, it has been Mary Beth Cahill. These pictures show that her accusations are not true at all. Even Kennedy Space Center spokesman Mike Rein said this:

But Kennedy Space Center spokesman Mike Rein said a video was routinely made of Kerry "as we have done for the last 40 years." He said NASA takes such footage because Kerry was in "a very confined and hazardous area" and that the pictures are always made public.

What Rein says is indeed true. All one needs to do is scroll down to the bottom of the NASA/Kennedy Space Center Multimedia Gallery and see for themselves.

If you ask me, it's not a big deal. I don't think seeing Kerry in a spacesuit that looks like it is standard NASA fare will damage his credibility in any way. However, I think if Kerry lets Cahill open her mouth anymore, then there may be problems.

I'll keep you updated if I find out anymore.