Bush Raises $3.5 Million For Republican Party

President Bush held court at a barbeque at the Broken Spoke Ranch in Crawford, Texas, today, raising $3.5 million for his party, the Associated Press reports.

500 GOP donors showed up for the festivities, as well as a number of the president's relatives, among them his parents and brother Jeb. Presumptive GOP nominee John McCain did not attend.

The president is spending four days at the ranch, the AP reports, and "White House spokesman Scott Stanzel didn't deny that the president and his wife, Laura, could also be taking care of some wedding-related details while here."

Bush's daughter Jenna gets married at the ranch on May 10th.

With McCain likely to take matching funds for the general election, the Republican National Committee's ability to raise and spend money on the candidate's behalf could be key. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have robust fundraising operations and are poised to opt-out of the public financing system, allowing them to raise and spend in excess of the $84 million provided by the government to those who opt-in.

One bright spot for McCain: The RNC has been far more successful than the Democratic National Committee in raising and holding onto money. The RNC ended February with nearly $25 million in the bank to the DNC's less than $5 million, and the DNC ended last year nearly broke.

As for Mr. Bush, he has raised three-quarters of a billion dollars for the GOP and its candidates since taking office.