DENVER -- It was a good morning for U.S. Sen. Pat Leahy. At one point he stood in front of a full room of over 100 people gathered for an event in his honor. Next to him Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean was calling him a "true statesman" and "the conscience of the Senate." Leahy was appreciative of the remarks, but he just saw something he definately wanted a picture of.

So he grabbed his camera, leaned behind Dean, who was still speaking, and snapped a picture of fellow Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart, and Minnesota U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken being friendly.

Along with them were some of the biggest names in Vermont and national Democratic politics for his political action committee's fundraiser.

Along with U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, state House Speaker Gaye Symington, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz and state Democratic Chair Ian Carleton were other New England figures like U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Maine and Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.

"I may not be running this year, but I will be campaigning wherever I can because the stakes are too high in this election," Leahy said. "The next president could appoint three judges to the Supreme Court and there will be sweeping changes in the federal judiciary."

Though Dean joked that as a Vermonter himself he wished Leahy wasn't so focused on being the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"We are looking forward to the day he becomes Appropriations Chairman," he said.