McCain wins Bush backing, bucks

President Bush yesterday formally endorsed Sen. John McCain as his desired successor to the White House, delivering a big-name draw for campaign events and a powerful money-raising machine to the cash-strapped presidential candidate.

“President Bush is a huge financial asset to McCain in his role as fundraiser-in-chief,” Republican strategist Scott Reed said. “Bush loves to raise money for the GOP, and he is needed now more than ever,” he said.

The McCain campaign is enlisting many of the past top Bush fundraisers, including dozens of “Rangers” — moneymen who pledged to collect $200,000 apiece for Mr. Bush during his two campaigns. Many are just now beginning to dial up large donors for contributions to Mr. McCain.

“A lot of them have gotten plugged in with us in the last couple of weeks,” said Charlie Black, a Republican strategist who is now one of Mr. McCain’s top advisers. The Bush endorsement “is message to them that if you’re still on the sidelines, you need to help.”

More importantly, the McCain team has enlisted Mercer Reynolds, the finance chairman for Mr. Bush’s re-election campaign, to help bring in cash.

Mr. Reynolds, who recently said he plans to rebuild his fundraising team, raised nearly $260 million for the president’s 2004 bid.

“Mercer’s already lined up a lot of the top Bush fundraisers,” Mr. Black said.

Republicans have traditionally far outraised Democrats in presidential campaigns, but the opposite has been true this cycle. Mr. McCain raised just $12 million in January and about the same amount last month — even after he had ostensibly wrapped up the nomination. His two Democratic opponents, meanwhile, have hauled in more than $135 million so far this year, with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama receiving $50 million last month alone.

Mr. Bush yesterday made clear that he intends to hand over his massive fundraising apparatus to Mr. McCainand campaign with the senator.

“I can help raise him money, and if he wants my pretty face standing by his side at one of these rallies, I’d be glad to show up,” the president said with a laugh.

Mr. McCain welcomed the pledge.

“I’ll be pleased to have him with me both from raising money and the much-needed finances for the campaign, and addressing the challenging issues that face this country,” he said.

Democrats, who say the election of Mr. McCain is tantamount to a “third Bush term,” criticized the endorsement.

“John McCain is no change at all,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “All he offers is four more years of the failed Bush economy, an endless war in Iraq, and shameless hypocrisy on ethics reform.”

Mr. Bush acknowledged his drawbacks, drawing laughter from Mr. McCain.

“As I told you, you know, if he wants me to show up, I will. If he wants me to say, ’You know, I’m not for him,’ I will. Whatever he wants me to do, I want him to win,” the president said.

In addition to some of the best fundraisers in the business, the McCain operation will be able to tap into a massive database of contributors, built up for nearly a decade. “The [Republican National Committe] already has all that — they inherited the list and data from the last two Bush campaigns — which is what we get now,” Mr. Black said.

Other one-time White House hopefuls, including former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thomspon, have already dispatched their top fundraisers to the McCain campaign.

Mr. Bush, the leader of the Republican Party, and his heir apparent, had lunch yesterday at the White House before they stepped out into the sun-drenched Rose Garden for a brief press conference.

Standing side by side, Mr. Bush drew a broad smile from Mr. McCain when he referred to his disastrous summer, when the candidate’s poll numbers plummeted over his steadfast support of the war in Iraq.

“A while back, I don’t think many people would have thought that John McCain would be here as the nominee of the Republican Party,” the president said. “Except he knew he’d be here, and so did his wife, Cindy.”

Mr. Bush praised the 71-year-old’s resilience, and his resolve to stick with the unpopular strategy to surge troops into Baghdad to quell sectarian violence.