Bush To Raise Money For McCain Next Week

The White House announced today that President George W. Bush will do three fundraisers for John McCain and the Republican Party next week – all of them closed to press coverage.

CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller reports the first fundraiser will be in Phoenix on May 27th, followed by stops in Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah the following day. McCain is also expected to attend all three events, which will be held in private homes.*

As Knoller has previously noted in Horserace, Mr. Bush is an extremely adept and active fundraiser: The president has attended more than 300 fundraisers since taking office, raising three quarters of a billion dollars for the GOP and its candidates.

McCain and his advisers are believed to be grappling with how to deploy Mr. Bush, who remains unpopular despite his fundraising prowess, on the campaign trail. The Associated Press points out that the fundraisers will mark the first time Bush and McCain have been together since March 5th, when the President endorsed the presumptive GOP nominee at the White House.

*UPDATE: The White House is now putting out word that McCain will only attend the Phoenix fundraiser.