From NBC's Mark Murray
The number we've been waiting for: Barack Obama's campaign has reported raising at least $25 million for the first fundraising quarter -- at least $23.5 million of which is for the primaries. By comparison, Hillary Clinton reported raising $26 million, but didn't specify how much of that amount was for the primaries versus the general election. Without releasing that information, many have assumed that the Clinton camp's primary number is well below $26 million (perhaps below $20 million). 

Money raised for the general election can't be used in the primaries.

For a candidate who has recently garnered some negative press -- especially regarding the lack of substance behind some of his ideas -- this haul is welcome news for Obama's campaign. More than anything else, it makes him a serious threat to Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Worth the Wait? We're supposed to find out Obama's fundraising numbers at about 11:00 am ET. Did the campaign do the right thing by delaying the announcement? Will the number match the hype?

*** Overhaul: Today's headlines suggest a major change in McCain's fundraising machine. "We're fundamentally changing our fundraising operation," McCain spokesman Brian Jones tells First Read. But are some making too much of the news that McCain has delayed his presidential announcement? And for the "shakeup" that was hyped overnight, do note that not a single staffer has been fired.

*** Hitting the Airwaves: What do you do after raising some $20 million? You run TV ads. Romney today goes up with a new TV ad -- his second -- in Iowa and New Hampshire that highlights his budget-hawk credentials. "And I know how to veto. I like vetoes," he says in the ad. Is he contrasting himself with a certain president who isn't known for his vetoes?

*** Good News: Elizabeth Edwards tells the AP she has a type of cancer that's likely to be controlled by anti-estrogen drugs.

*** Making His Move: Tommy Thompson makes his presidential bid official today, becoming the highest-ranking member of the Bush Administration (former HHS secretary) to join the GOP field. But that's not really a blessing: Per a December 2006 NBC/WSJ poll, 59% said they had a problem with any presidential candidate who served in Bush's Cabinet. What's more, he doesn't seem to be the Thompson that many Republicans are waiting for.

*** All Quiet on the Western Front? Bush today heads to Fort Irwin, CA, where he will speak to military personnel and their families. Another opportunity to bash Democrats on the Iraq war supplemental?

*** On the Trail: Edwards, Obama, Romney, and Tommy Thompson are all in Iowa; Dodd and Richardson visit New Hampshire; and Giuliani stumps in Florida.

 

The Washington Post looks at Bush's tough words yesterday on the Iraq supplemental: "With Congress already out of town for spring vacation, the president's news conference was an attempt to have the last word in Washington before flying to California and then to his ranch in Crawford, Tex., for a long weekend. He ridiculed lawmakers for leaving without finishing their war-spending legislation, but he opted not to use his power to call them back or to give up his own break."

The New York Times front-pages the similarities and differences between the current White House vs. Congress showdown and the one from 1995. Check out the choice quotes from Gingrich and Daschle.

The Politico notes how his Democratic rivals are trying to outflank Obama on the war -- by going to his left on the showdown over the Iraq supplemental. "'I think that nobody wants to play chicken with our troops on the ground," [Obama] told the Associated Press, adding: 'I don't think we can muster at this point a majority of Senate Democrats or Republicans to vote for a cutoff of funding.' Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), in contrast to Obama, has refused to take Bush's veto for granted… Former North Carolina senator John Edwards has also sought to define the confrontation with Bush more sharply in the wake of Obama's comments."

Yet Obama went back to his bread and butter -- his 2002 stance on the war -- while campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday, observes NBC's Carrie Dann. "Consistently, where I have an issue that's important to me, I will stand up against a lot of pressure," Obama said. "I mean keep in mind my opposition to the war came five months before the invasion was launched. I stood up in front of 3,000 people knowing that I might lose my US Senate race as a consequence, because at the time you remember George Bush was at 60, 65 percent and a majority of Americans supported invading Iraq.

While Clinton is taking a tough stand on the supplemental, the Washington Post writes that she "hedged" yesterday "when asked whether she would support legislation sponsored by other Democratic senators, including Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), aimed at cutting off funding for the war on March 31, 2008… 'I need to read it,' she said."

DODD: Dodd's campaign pushes back against internet speculation that there might be some staff shakeup after missing internal fundraising goals. Campaign co-chair Rosa DeLauro "emails calling the report 'nonsense' and noting 'the campaign has $7.5 million on hand and will compete effectively in Iowa and New Hampshire and the lead in states -- where he has strong organizations. Dodd remains the candidate to watch and his campaign is first rate.'"

EDWARDS: Elizabeth Edwards received some good news, per the AP: "She has a type of cancer that is more likely to be controlled by anti-estrogen drugs… She said her doctor expected she had the most aggressive 'triple-negative' cancer, but testing found that she had two of the three key hormonal receptors — estrogen and progesterone. She said the original diagnosis was 'slightly estrogen-heavy,' but this time it's a strong marker and she also has the second marker.

GORE: The Boston Globe's Lehigh writes on the Draft Gore movement, and reports that one of the groups hopes to place an ad in a national newspaper urging Gore to run.

OBAMA: Lest we forget, Obama's campaign yesterday was trying really, really hard not to talk about fundraising so that the media would focus on his health-care forum in New Hampshire. Obama emphasized that he wouldn't be putting out detailed proposals soon, instead asking for input from supporters. This will be an interesting gambit to watch because one of the things Obama's chief opponents argue is that he doesn't have a lot of substance behind his rhetoric. Will promises like the one he made yesterday about health care add fuel to his opponents' fire?

RICHARDSON: The Washington Post writes about the Bush Administration's announcement yesterday that Richardson will co-head "a private bipartisan delegation to North Korea next week to retrieve the remains of U.S. troops lost during the Korean War." That announcement left some Republicans scratching their heads. "'Talk about retreating to a Clinton policy,' said Republican political consultant Ed Rogers. 'Next they will want Hillary to sponsor heath-care legislation,' he said… Rogers said he was puzzled about why President Bush would complain yesterday about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visiting Syria while praising Richardson for going to North Korea."

 

GIULIANI: Could Giuliani's folks ask for a better supporter quote in the Boston Globe (or any other paper) than this one? "'If I was a terrorist, I'd be really nervous of Rudy Giuliani,' said Ron Vars of East Kingston, who owns a telecommunications brokerage. 'I don't care about this personal stuff; he's a leader. I have an ex-wife. I don't have two of them, but that's OK.'"

Also in the article, it looks like Grover is about to come aboard. "Grover Norquist, the tax cut crusader and conservative strategist, said news reports about Giuliani's personal life, including stories about his estranged second wife and children, have yet to dent his support. 'If you'd known somebody for 20 years and in conversation it came up that he had been married three times, that wouldn't define him for you,' Norquist said. 'The country feels on the policy issues of the day that they know Giuliani. They may like him; they may not like him.'"

Yet Hizzoner has an answer to those who claim being mayor of NYC doesn't give him proper foreign policy credentials.

MCCAIN: The New York Times front-pages how McCain is revamping his fundraising operation, after his disappointing 1st quarter haul. "Mr. McCain's aides said that to deal with his fund-raising problems, he would adopt what had been a centerpiece of Mr. Bush's fund-raising technique, and one that has been embraced by most major presidential candidates: creating an honorary campaign designation to reward the campaign's top money raisers. Mr. Bush called his Rangers and Pioneers; Mr. McCain will call his the McCain 100's, for supporters who collect $100,000 for the campaign, and the McCain 200's, who collect $200,000."

The Politico writes a similar story.  "Amid growing internal concern about poor fundraising and the direction of his presidential campaign, Sen. John McCain's top advisers bluntly told backers on Tuesday of plans to overhaul the campaign and delay its formal announcement until after a major speech on Iraq." The article adds, however, that these changes have been in the works for a while.

ROMNEY: The script of Romney's new 30-second TV ad, which begins running today in Iowa and New Hampshire: "If I'm elected President, I'm going to cap non-defense discretionary spending at inflation minus one percent. That would save $300 billion in 10 years. And if Congress sends me a budget that exceeds that cap, I will veto that budget. And I know how to veto. I like vetoes. I've vetoed hundreds of spending appropriations as Governor. And frankly, I can't wait to get my hands on Washington!"

After its fundraising haul, the Romney campaign is clearly basking in the new attention. See the New York Times and the Union Leader. In fact, it's reminiscent of the extra attention John Edwards received in April 2003, when he surprised folks with a better-than-expected fundraising quarter. Like Edwards was, Romney is mired in single digits and trying to parlay the insider attention into voter attention in Iowa and New Hampshire. It took a while for Edwards to eventually catch on -- but he did.  and

The Washington Post does its version of how Romney being a Mormon is a mixed blessing.

F. THOMPSON: The lead Thompson drafter in the House, Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp (R), tells the Washington Times that he's signed up 60 House Republicans to meet with Thompson when he comes to Cap Hill on April 18 -- for what is turning into the a very big rollout of the fledgling campaign-in-waiting. "Thompson has said he will take his time deciding whether to embark on a presidential campaign, but Mr. Wamp suggested that the unexpected groundswell of support may have accelerated that timeline. 'It's somewhat of a phenomenon. There is a whole lot of momentum, and you don't want to lose it,' he said."

T. THOMPSON: The former Wisconsin governor kicks off his presidential announcement this morning at a Milwaukee high school -- inside the aptly named Tommy Thompson Athletic Center. He then heads to Clive, Iowa.

The L.A. Times' Brownstein notes how the intimacy is gone from presidential politics. "But even in Iowa and New Hampshire, the traditional citadels of person-to-person politics, such opportunities for close encounters with a candidate are diminishing. Just as important, the top candidates are losing the chance to spend quiet time listening to the problems and concerns of voters in rooms smaller than an auditorium."

And while everyone is focusing on the fundraising, MSNBC.com's Curry looks at how the campaign money gets spent.

House Democrats yesterday said they are seeking a private meeting with the Justice Department aide, Monica Goodling, who asserted her 5th Amendment rights in the fired prosecutor controversy, the New York Times reports. "Mr. Conyers's letter said that House lawyers wanted to question Ms. Goodling to evaluate the legality of her refusal to testify. It said she could not assert the privilege as a blanket justification not to appear… In response, [Goodling's attorney] issued a statement suggesting that he regarded the House letter as a threat and a possible violation of legal ethics."

And although Alberto Gonzales may not be on the front pages this week, that doesn't mean he's out of the woods. The Washington Times has a lot of House Republicans on the record expressing their displeasure.

From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
It's been a rough couple of days -- or months, depending on your opinion -- for John McCain. Could it get worse? In an interview with the liberal blogger Jonathan Singer, John Kerry alleges that McCain adviser John Weaver approached him about the possibility of McCain becoming Kerry's running mate in 2004. 

The conventional wisdom has always been that Kerry reached out to McCain. And that CW is Weaver's rebuttal to Kerry's story in an interview with the conservative blogger Matt Lewis. "According to Weaver, Kerry personally called him, begging for McCain to change parties, saying it would, 'change the country.' Weaver noted that it would be ridiculous for McCain to join the Kerry campaign because they disagreed on foreign policy." More from Weaver: "At no point did John consider it. Not for a nanosecond."

Asked by First Read about Kerry's version of events, Weaver replied, "Laughable."

From NBC's Mark Murray and Chuck Todd
A new University of Iowa poll has good news for John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain in the nation's first nominating contest -- depending on the subgroups being measured.

Among likely Democratic caucus-goers, Edwards leads with 34.2%, followed by Clinton at 28.5%, and Obama at 19.3%. Yet among registered Democrats, Clinton leads -- with Edwards second and Obama third.

In the GOP field, Giuliani and McCain are virtually tied among likely caucus-goers (20.9% for McCain and 20.3% for Giuliani), while Romney is at 16.9%. Among registered Republicans, Giuliani leads, followed by McCain and then Romney.

(A note of caution, however: You should take public polls for the Iowa caucuses with a grain of salt, given how difficult it is to measure which voters will actually show up for the contest.)

From NBC's Libby Leist
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared on Bill O'Reilly's radio show today, where the conservative commentator pressed her with questions about the Iraq war. O'Reilly observed that public opinion largely believes "it's been a fiasco." Asking another question, he says: "You are not having a success in the hearts and minds in Iraq. There's simply too many killers there, too many factions that don't want democracy. And I'm not sure, no matter what surge you have, that you can overcome the Iraqi people not cooperating."

A key exchange below:

QUESTION: … But on the other side, Madame Secretary, you have to understand that most Americans have given up on the war on Iraq and they don't want any more -- they don't want to hear about it, they don't want any part of it, it's been a fiasco. This is public opinion I'm talking about. So it's a very tough sell for you and the President isn't it?
SECRETARY RICE: Well, the President is committed to this because it is important to our security. Yes, it is very important that we carry through on helping Iraq to form a stable democratic society. It is very important that we follow through on making certain that Iraq remains territorially integrous so that the region doesn't come apart. But the truth of the matter is, as important as it is for Iraqis, it is doubly important for Americans because we cannot have --
QUESTION: But most Americans aren't buying it.
SECRETARY RICE: Well, Americans --
QUESTION: They don't get it.
SECRETARY RICE: I understand that people are skeptical. I understand that people are frustrated. The President said when he launched this new strategy that he counted himself among Americans who found the current situation unacceptable. But we have a new strategy, a new commander in the field, a new ambassador who's gone out there. They're having some initial success in helping to bring some stability to Baghdad...

From NBC's Mike Viqueira and Mark Murray
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid responded to Bush's comments on the Iraq supplemental spending bill, saying: "The President today asked the American people to trust him as he continues to follow the same failed strategy which has drawn our troops further into an intractable civil war... Democrats will send President Bush a bill that gives our troops the resources they need and a strategy in Iraq worthy of their sacrifices. If the President vetoes this bill he will have delayed funding for troops and kept in place his strategy for failure."

Reid's communications war room also tried to debunk Bush's complaint that it has taken Democrats 57 days -- since he first introduced it -- to send him an Iraq spending bill to sign. It pointed out that in 2005 and 2006, it took the GOP-controlled Congress 86 and 119 days, respectively, to get the Iraq supplemental to Bush's desk.

John Edwards also criticized Bush's veto threat. In a statement, he said, "The Congress should make absolutely clear that they are going to stand their ground, supporting the troops and reflecting the will of the American people to end this war. If the President vetoes a funding bill, Congress should send him another bill that funds the troops, brings them home, and ends the war. And if he vetoes that one, they should send him another that does the same thing."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a statement from the White House Rose Garden, which later turned into a full-fledged press conference, President Bush repeated his threat to veto the Democratic-sponsored Iraq spending bills that contain withdrawal deadlines, arguing that they "undercut" the troops serving there. The Democratic Congress, he said, seems "more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq."

And in a line that anti-war Democrats might find ironic, Bush added that Congress' inability to give him an Iraq spending bill without withdrawal deadlines would make US troops stay in Iraq longer. "Congress' failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines, and others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people."

In response to Bush's remarks, the Clinton campaign -- eager to strike on an issue that Obama seems to have given up -- referred us to these comments she made yesterday. "I think we should challenge this President not to veto this bill. And we should hold firm. This bill represents the will not only of the Congress but of the American people. The President is making a grave mistake by refusing to work with the Congress to change direction in Iraq."

From NBC's Mark Murray
We briefly mentioned this New York Post article yesterday, which reported on Judith Giuliani's involvement with a firm that did surgeries on dogs to demonstrate medical products -- often ending in these dogs' deaths. Rudy Giuliani responded to the article on Monday. "I wouldn't dignify it with a comment, except to say my wife's career is one of caring for people, in very, very deep and fundamental ways," he said. "I love my wife very, very much," he said. "She has spent her life in medicine, medical science. She has spent her life saving lives."

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Romney's Big Day… : His $20 million+ haul garners him headlines in the New York Times and Washington Post, plus an appearance on TODAY, where he acknowledged that he tapped out his wealthy donors and now needs to find a new stream of money.

*** … Versus McCain's Bad One: GOP strategist Alex Vogel summed it up well in the Post: "By any historical measure, $12.5 million is a lot of money. But McCain was the front-runner for so long, the expectation was he would not come in third."

*** Hey, Big Spender: Did anyone else see that Romney loaned his campaign $2.35 million? How much money is he willing to spend to win the nomination? "Gosh, I hope as little as possible," he told Matt Lauer on TODAY. Translation: He's not going to be squeezed out because of money.

*** Republican donors sitting on their hands? Using Bush's famous '99 record-breaking $30 million+ fundraising quarter (at $1,000/donor vs. $2,300/donor now) as a comparison, it means (by our count) there's approximately $15-$20 million in Bush donor money sitting out so far. Good news for a Fred Thompson?

*** A Full House? Obama is the only major presidential candidate who hasn't displayed his fundraising cards yet. He's got a big health-care rollout today, so does that mean his campaign will wait yet, ANOTHER, day to release his figures?

*** Could Obama and Clinton be virtually even in cash-on-hand, too? If Clinton's campaign did indeed raise $5 to $8 million in general election money, then that puts her PRIMARY money take (w/transfer) at approximately $28 to $31 million. If the Obama is haul is $22-$24 million in primary money and Hillary's expenses are more than Obama's, well… Do the math.

*** War Games: Buried yesterday by all the focus on the money chase were Cheney's tough remarks on the Democrats' withdrawal deadlines in the Iraq spending bill. Bush tag-teams this morning as he makes a statement on the legislation (and might also take some questions). But the White House appears a bit jolted by the news Harry Reid will team up with Feingold on a bill that could actually withhold funds from the war (which could become a key litmus test for Democratic presidential hopefuls).

*** This Takes the Yellowcake: The Post has a long investigative story (2300+ words) on the intelligence that ended up giving us the Scooter Libby trial. It's a long, complicated story that folks who have been following the Libby trial -- Chris Matthews' Hardball team, in particular -- will want to read in whole.

*** On the Trail: Biden, Clinton, Edwards, and Giuliani are all in Iowa today. Obama and Romney, meanwhile, stump throughout New Hampshire.

 

The New York Times focuses on Romney's Mormon donor base in his fundraising haul. "Although Mr. Romney's membership in the Mormon Church has often been discussed as a potential political liability, he has taken deliberate steps to turn his affiliation with the church into a fund-raising asset. He has tapped wealthy Mormons including the Marriott family, founders of the hotel chain, and Jon M. Huntsman Sr., who made a fortune in plastics packaging."

The Washington Post examines McCain's relatively poor fundraising quarter. "In interviews yesterday, key 2008 fundraisers blamed McCain's lackluster quarter on a host of shortcomings, most notably his difficulty summoning support from traditional Republican donors who were unhappy about his campaign finance reform agenda in the Senate and his earlier clashes with Bush."

In a background conversation with a McCain aide, we also were given an explanation of the "accountability" issue. According to this person, there just wasn't any follow-up to fundraisers who pledged to raise, say $100,000 -- which this person said was the key difference between the McCain operation and Bush-Cheney '04. This explanation, of course, puts a lot of pressure on McCain to have a tremendous 2nd quarter. 

In other fundraising news, Biden said Clinton's fundraising was "impressive but irrelevant." And then he gave us another great Bidenism. ''My regret (with fundraising) has nothing to do with whether I can compete in Iowa or other states,'' said Biden. ''My regret is whether or not I can spend 20 grand to fly back and forth to Iowa in a roundtrip of four hours instead of 12 hours.''

And, per the AP, Obama said this at a town hall in New Hampshire: "'The fact that I'm raising obscene amounts of money for this presidential race doesn't make me a hypocrite,'' he said. ''I want to see those systems implemented and have a track record of doing it.'"

As if on cue, the New York Times front-pages how Obama built an impressive fundraising machine when he ran for the Senate in 2004. "Even as he cultivated an image as an unconventional candidate devoted to the people, not the establishment, he systematically built a sophisticated, and in many ways quite conventional, money machine."

Meanwhile, Clinton -- standing next to self-funder Jon Corzine yesterday -- said she could be in favor of public financing in the future. Could she have chosen a worse backdrop for that announcement? After all, Corzine has spent more money on two statewide races than all but a handful of candidates. Ever.

In New Hampshire yesterday, Obama stepped up his rhetoric on Iraq, and made the case for his judgment in 2002 as an argument about experience. In fact, he told a crowd of 2,000 to go read what he said in 2002. "'I recommend the speech not so much so I can say "I told you so," so much as to get a sense of the judgment I bring to bear on foreign policy issues, because I anticipated most of the problems, if not all the problems we've confronted since we got there.'"

Some of us have argued that Democratic primary voters have a Messiah complex, but actually depicting Obama as Jesus probably takes things a bit too far.

Hillary Clinton, along with her unofficial Iowa campaign manager Tom Vilsack, launches a major Iowa campaign initiative today.

Also in Iowa today, Biden gives a "significant" policy speech on what his campaign labels the Bush Administration's "abuse of powers." Yesterday, the Biden camp unveiled a new Web site -- HeadtoHead08 -- that uses YouTube videos to compare Biden's position on Iraq with his Democratic rivals' positions.

In New Hampshire yesterday, "Elizabeth Edwards said that after her cancer announcement, she read an entry on The Daily Kos blog "that said 'Live until you die,' and that, I think, really says it better than the long-winded way I usually put it.'" (Also not a bad shout-out to the netroots.)

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill in to law that making his state the 12th in the country to allow medicinal marijuana. "New Mexico Republicans contend Richardson supported the bill -- and helped push it through -- because of contributions to his re-election campaign last year: $25,000 from billionaire philanthropist George Soros and $25,000 from the Drug Policy Alliance Network."

Meanwhile, just one day after Richardson was basking in some decent press regarding his 1st quarter fundraising, he gets a headline like this one: "Key players in New Mexico corruption scandal donated to Richardson campaigns."

And according to a California Field Poll, Clinton leads Obama and Edwards, 41%-28%-13%. But when Gore is added to the mix, the result is Clinton 31%, Gore 25%, Obama 21%, and Edwards 8% -- with Gore taking more from Clinton than anyone else.

The New York Times: "A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad's central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans' conclusions. 'What are they talking about?' Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. 'The security procedures were abnormal!'" 

Writing in The Politico, former NBC News political director Elizabeth Wilner -- a very, very familiar name to the fans of First Read -- notices how the McCain, Romney, and Giuliani press operations seem so similar. The answer: The people working in them "all served in the trenches of President Bush's reelection effort in 2004, the Republican National Committee's midterm election effort of 2006 or both."

Just on cue... Romney, in New Hampshire, today participates in an "Ask Mitt Anything" forum -- reminiscent of the "Ask President Bush" events the president held in '04.

The Des Moines Register curtain-raises Giuliani's visit to the Hawkeye State.

Lost in some of the hullabaloo from yesterday, the Brownback camp released a statement saying that they raised just under $2 million in the 1st quarter, which includes the senator's initial transfer. The statement adds this: "Perspective: Brownback brought in 4x the amount of Mike Huckabee ($400,000)." Um, yeah.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is teaming up with Sen. Russ Feingold (D) to sponsor a bill cutting off war funds by March 2008. "Reid had previously opposed setting a firm end date for the war, a stance he has backed away from in recent months as others in his party moved to increase pressure on Bush. He officially converted after visiting wounded soldiers last week at Walter Reed Army Medical Center."

That will obviously play well with the Democratic base and the netroots. However, the overall public opinion of cutting off funds for the Iraq war is something that has been hard to gauge. It really depends on how one defines "cutting off funds." 

And as mentioned earlier, the Washington Post front-pages how the Niger yellowcake ended up in Bush's State of the Union. A couple of things we learned from the piece:
-- that the forged documents were filled with errors that were easily identifiable through a simple Internet search
-- that then-CIA Director George Tenet was able to get Bush to drop a reference to Iraq trying to acquire uranium from Niger in an October 2002 speech, but it ended up his 2003 SOTU.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Perhaps the biggest news in the dash for campaign cash was the amount John McCain raised for the first quarter: $12.5 million. That was well below the $20 million-plus Romney brought in and the $15 million Giuliani lassoed. In fact, the McCain camp even expressed disappointment with the numbers. "Although we are pleased with the organization we've built and polls show us strongly positioned in key primary states, we had hoped to do better in first quarter fundraising," campaign manager Terry Nelson said in a statement. "We are already in the process of taking the necessary steps to ensure fundraising success moving forward." More from Nelson: "Fundraising in the first quarter is no more important than fundraising throughout the entire primary election campaign."

Since he's in Iraq, however, McCain may be able to dodge the spotlight of the fundraising story -- especially if reporters focus on the Clinton vs. Obama plot. And we still don't have those Obama numbers yet...

From NBC's Mark Murray
We missed this story earlier this morning, but there's news today that John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth plano to pull their youngest children -- Emma Claire, 8, and Jack, 6 -- out of school in the fall, and hire a full-time tutor to travel with them as they all hit the campaign trail this year. Per Gannett, the Edwardses "were considering the move before last week, when she learned her breast cancer had returned and become incurable. Because of that news, she said, she and her husband are more determined to keep the children ... close at hand. 'Selfishly, we love being with them,' she said."

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
Coming in second place -- so far -- in the overall money race, Mitt Romney's presidential camp has reported raising $23 million in the first quarter. That amount, slightly less than the $26 million Team Clinton announced yesterday, includes more than $20 million in primary contributions (no general election funds), a $2.35 million loan from Romney, and a $20,000 transfer from his '94 Senate campaign account.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Rudy Giuliani's campaign just announced its 1st quarter numbers. He raised more than $15 million for the quarter, nearly $14 million of which comes in primary funds. By comparison, that's slightly more than what John Edwards raised on the Democratic side. Team Rudy also announced it has more than $11 million cash on hand.

Giuliani campaign manager Mike DuHaime said in a statement, "We are thrilled by the response to Mayor Giuliani's optimistic vision, experienced leadership and proven record of results. Considering our late start, we are very pleased by the pace raised in March and see it as a positive indication of what's to come."

From Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
*** Numbers Game: We're on pins and needles awaiting Obama's fundraising number. The campaign seems to be enjoying its moment in the sun, which tells us the number is something that will prove competitive with Clinton and potentially alter the perception of who will be the money front-runner in this race. 

*** About That $26 Million: Team Hillary's haul sets a record. But is the amount as impressive as some were expecting? And just how much of that amount is for the general election? (Rival camps can't believe the Clinton camp doesn't know its split, if it knows how many donations are less than $100.)

*** Second-Tier Action: Don't miss the fact that Richardson (who's headed to North Korea in days) outraised both Dodd and Biden. Impressive considering he's from New Mexico (hardly a rich state), and that he doesn't have a powerful Senate post to demand cash. Also, the media's favorite conservative candidate, Mike Huckabee, didn't even raise $1 million. Ouch.

*** Out of the Spotlight: Anyone else get the sense the GOP candidates are glad the Democrats are getting all the attention by releasing their numbers first? We're betting they like the fact that the media, in general, might be just a little less interested in their collective fundraising right now. More importantly, the fact that the reporters aren't demanding to see a cash-on-hand figure from Clinton suggests the Republicans won't release that number either until they HAVE to.

*** No Dowd About It: Speaking to the New York Times, former BC'04 chief strategist Matthew Dowd becomes the first member of Bush's inner circle to criticize his presidency and his handling of the Iraq war. Who's next? And did anyone else catch Dowd's comment that the only presidential candidate who appeals to him is Obama?

*** Spinning Kerik: Be sure not to miss how Giuliani personalized his Kerik spin this weekend. Much better than using a campaign statement.

*** On the Trail: Lots of campaign stumping this week. Today, in New Hampshire alone, Edwards, Giuliani, and Obama all visit the Granite State.

*** April Announcement Showers Bring...: Tancredo is expected to announce today that he's in; Tommy Thompson will do the same on Wednesday; and now Giuliani is set to announce "sometime in April."

Half of the major Democratic candidates have reported their preliminary fundraising numbers. The big story, of course, is Hillary Clinton's $26 million haul. Toss in her $10 million Senate transfer, and a total of $36 million sounds impressive. But some of the $26 million the Clinton camp announced raising is for the general election, not the primaries. In the conference call yesterday, the campaign would not tell reporters how much of the $26 million was for the primaries versus general election. In this fundraising game, what matters is the amount for the primaries -- to be able to compare apples to apples.

One Clinton rival chimed in gleefully, "They can tell us that 80% of the contributions are $100 or less, but can't add up all the contributions over $2,300 -- and subtract that from $26 million?"

By the way, for comparison, Howard Dean's largest quarter before the Iowa caucuses was the 4thQ of 2003, in which he raised $15.7 million. So it appears that both Clinton and Obama will surpass that number.

Finally, one Democratic strategist for another campaign is simply relieved that Clinton's money lead doesn't seem insurmountable. Not only did she not blow the field away this quarter, she "only" transferred $10 million from her senate campaign. There was a time when Clinton primary foes feared she could end up saving twice that and transfer that over.

The Politico makes a similar point, writing that Clinton "did not appear to open the sort of gap between herself and leading rivals that would presage the lopsided primary contest some expected as recently as late last year."

As for Edwards, his number -- more than $14 million raised overall, $13 million of which for the primaries -- was solid and an indication he'll have the money he needs to compete in the early states.
 
One note about the campaigns: Every one of them, to their credit, was nothing but upfront with us about their fundraising. Some of us may have been too cynical thanks to past relationships with presidential campaigns to actually take them at face value.  The hype of Clinton, for instance, got out of hand. So many of us in the media are quick to criticize campaigns when they aren't straight with us, we figured it was important to point out when they are.

CNBC's John Harwood reports that at a breakfast with Washington reporters on Saturday, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said he had met his goal of raising $500,000 for the quarter and would report having roughly $300,000 in cash on hand -- a paltry sum compared to what some of the Democratic candidates raised.

The Sunday New York Times piece on former Bush adviser Matthew Dowd: "He criticized the president as failing to call the nation to a shared sense of sacrifice at a time of war, failing to reach across the political divide to build consensus and ignoring the will of the people on Iraq. He said he believed the president had not moved aggressively enough to hold anyone accountable for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and that Mr. Bush still approached governing with a 'my way or the highway' mentality reinforced by a shrinking circle of trusted aides. 'I really like him, which is probably why I'm so disappointed in things,' he said. He added, 'I think he's become more, in my view, secluded and bubbled in.'"

For now, Dowd is laying low and isn't interested in doing TV, so he tells us. Of particular note is the apparent split between Dowd and Karl Rove. We asked if that split had anything to do with a book Dowd co-wrote with the AP's Ron Fournier and Clinton confidante Doug Sosnick, in which Dowd talked about some of the Bush strategery.  

At a stakeout after his Meet the Press performance, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel dismissed the notion that there would be a backlash against the Democrats for their withdrawal deadlines in the Iraq supplemental bills, reports NBC's Abby Livingston. "I think if anything, some of us are getting backlash for not going far enough," Rangel said.