Memorial Day brings out presidential hopefuls

Sarah Palin takes part in the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally on Sunday in Washington.NEW: Sarah Palin says "Americans are ready for true change" in 2012Mitt Romney releases a statement praising military veterans Many potential presidential candidates will be out on Memorial DayPalin takes her "One Nation" tour to Washington, Mount Vernon and Gettysburg

(CNN) -- Politicians are in plentiful supply this Memorial Day as the ramp-up to the 2012 presidential election begins in earnest.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who began a nationwide bus tour Sunday, generated plenty of buzz by riding into Washington over the weekend on the back of a motorcycle. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee told reporters on Monday she is "still kind of contemplating" a White House run.

"I think any Republican candidate is very, very electable," she said. "I think Americans are ready for true change."

Palin's Memorial Day schedule will take her to the National Archives in Washington; Mount Vernon, Virginia; and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Over the next few days, Palin's "One Nation" bus tour is also scheduled to make stops at historic sites in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the latter home to the nation's first primary.

"This isn't a campaign bus," she said. "This is a bus to be able to express to America how much we appreciate our foundation, and to invite more people to be interested in all that is good about America."

"We don't need to fundamentally transform America," she added. "We need to restore what's good about America."

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who would compete with Palin for Tea Party support should she run, was attending Memorial Day events in New Hampshire.

She has already hired staff in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- all key states that hold early caucuses or primaries.

Bachmann has promised to make a presidential announcement during June in Waterloo, Iowa, the town where she was born.

Former Minnesota governor and Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, who announced his candidacy last week, is spending the day in Iowa, including a stop at a pancake breakfast in Waukee.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is expected to announce his his presidential bid on Thursday in New Hampshire, did not share his Memorial Day plans. He did release a statement, however, praising both veterans and current military service members.

"As we observe Memorial Day, we owe thanks to the many Americans who have fought and died to defend our country," Romney said. "Those patriots who are on the battlefields today or have gone to battlefields in the past, some never to return, have left us a stronger country, a great nation that, whatever its divisions, shines as a beacon of liberty before the peoples of the world."

CNN

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Arrest of IMF Chief on Attempted Rape Charges Throws French Presidential Race Into Chaos (Time.com)

The news of the arrest of IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 62, was shocking in its own right: late Saturday afternoon, Port Authority police took Strauss-Kahn from the First Class cabin of an Air France flight at Kennedy Airport about to depart for Paris amid allegations he attempted to rape a midtown Manhattan hotel maid earlier in the day. But considering the fact that the former French finance minister Strauss-Kahn was widely expected to run against President Nicolas Sarkozy next year, the turn of events was particularly stunning.

In fact DSK, as the French call one of the country's leading political figures, happens to be on the cover of virtually every French magazine this week as the country's possible next President, and several have recently featured photos of him with his wife Anne Sinclair, a U.S.-born veteran French television journalist. So it didn't take long for the news, which broke at about 2 a.m. Paris time, to throw next May's French presidential race into upheaval by quite possibly removing the only candidate clearly capable of beating Sarkozy. (See a brief history of the IMF.)

On Sunday French liberal politicians urged people not to rush to judgment. Strauss-Kahn's close associate and spokesman Jean-Marie le Guen, told Europe 1 radio that "this episode does not resemble the Dominique Strauss-Kahn I know." SEgolEne Royal, who beat out Strauss-Kahn for the party nomination in 2006 beore her poorly-run presidential race was blamed for having buried the Socialists' chances, said on Sunday that "there must be a presumption of innocence."

The New York Police Department claims that at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, a hotel maid entered a $3,000-a-night suite at the Sofitel near Times Square, believing that it was empty. Strauss-Kahn then emerged naked from the bathroom, and grabbed her, pulled her into the bedroom and threw her on to the bed, before trying to lock the suite's main door, according to New York Police Dept. Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne, who outlined the charges to reporters. "She fights him off, and then he drags her down the hallway to the bathroom, where he sexually assaults her a second time," he told Reuters.

The maid, 32, finally managed to push Strauss-Kahn away and escape, according to Browne, and her colleagues called 911. Strauss-Kahn had checked out by the time police arrived at the hotel, leaving behind his cell phone. Strauss-Kahn was arrested on charges of attempted rape, conducting a criminal sexual act, and unlawful imprisonment of the woman. Early Sunday, Strauss-Kahn's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters his client, who was still in NYPD custody and was expected to appear in state court sometime Sunday, would plead not guilty. (See how Strauss-Kahn has helped save Europe's troubled economies.)

For Strauss-Kahn's Socialist Party, the timing could hardly have been worse. After years in the political wilderness, the party is getting set to nominate its contender, and in Strauss-Kahn, it appeared to have finally found a winner. Recent French opinion polls put him far ahead of Sarkozy in next year's race. The recent photos of Strauss-Kahn's high-altitude lifestyle - which this week included him stepping out of a Porsche - has provoked discomfort among many French leftists, who feared that he was too rich and privileged to appeal to their traditional working-class base. Yet even that appeared to be little political obstacle to Strauss-Kahn, who had seemed to have a solid chance of victory.

The ramifications of Strauss-Kahn's arrest extend way beyond the gilded government palaces in Paris, however.

In Washington, it could raise questions about why the IMF gave him a free pass in 2008 after he began an affair with a Hungarian economist, who was his subordinate at the organization. While concluding he had shown poor judgment, the IMF decided not to censure or remove Strauss-Kahn, at a time when the world faced the deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression; for his part, Strauss-Kahn issued a statement declaring that "I am grateful that the board has confirmed that there was no abuse of authority on my part, but I accept that this incident represents a serious error of judgment." (See Strauss-Kahn's alleged 2008 abuses of power.)

Since then, Strauss-Kahn has won praise for his handling of the global meltdown. This time, however, IMF officials have immediately distanced themselves from their chief. A two-sentence IMF statement on Sunday said that Strauss-Kahn's arrest was a matter for the NYPD and his personal attorney, and that the organization "remains fully functioning and operational." Nonetheless, the IMF could face an internal crisis now, since Strauss-Kahn's deputy, John Lipsky, announced last Thursday that he was leaving the organization in August.

Across Europe, too, Strauss-Kahn's arrest will have a major impact. It could impact critical negotiations over the E.U.'s deep debt crisis, in which Strauss-Kahn has been a key - if not the key - player. He was due to be at emergency debt meetings in Brussels this week, and perhaps mindful that he could soon be one of the E.U.'s most powerful leaders, as French President, he has cautioned for months against harsh austerity measures for debt-ridden countries Portugal and Greece.

That now seems like a comparatively simple challenge. Rather than fighting to move into the Elysee Palace, Strauss-Kahn suddenly will have to fight to keep himself out of jail, perhaps for years.

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Obama mocks Trump's presidential ambitions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama exacted his revenge Saturday after weeks of attacks from his would-be Republican challenger Donald Trump, joking that the billionaire businessman could bring change to the White House, transforming it from a stately mansion into a tacky casino with a whirlpool in the garden.

President Obama listens to introductions at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner Saturday in Washington.

By Chris Kleponis, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama listens to introductions at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner Saturday in Washington.

With Trump in attendance, Obama used the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star's presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.

After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to "where are Biggie and Tupac?"

"No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than 'the Donald,'" Obama said, referring to Trump's claims the same day that he was responsible for solving the issue.

For Trump's decision to fire actor Busey instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: "These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir."

And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. "Trump" was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.

Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off.

"Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising," said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. "I just assumed he was running as a joke."

Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticize the real estate tycoon.

Obama and Trump found themselves in the same room after an intense week of attacks from Trump, who has piggybacked on the birther conspiracies and even Obama's refusal to release his university grades to raise the profile of his possible presidential bid.

And the birth certificate was clearly the key punchline for the evening, which typically offers the president a chance to show off his humorous side and a town consumed by politics and partisanship to enjoy a light-hearted affair.

Obama's presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan's patriotic anthem, "Real American," played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film, "The Lion King."

On the serious side, Obama took time to thank the troops for their service overseas and noted that the people of the South, especially Alabama, have suffered heart-wrenching losses.

"The devastation is unbelievable and it is heartbreaking," he said. He encouraged the journalists in the room to help tell the stories of those who have been hurt by the storms and saluted those who lost their lives while covering the news.

Other possible Republican presidential hopefuls in attendance were former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. And stars such as Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson also were among the more than 2,500 people who attended.

The association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner. Some of the proceeds from the dinner pay for journalism scholarships for college students.

Several journalists were honored at the dinner:

•Dan Balz of The Washington Post and Jake Tapper of ABC News, for winning the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Balz won for coverage of an unexpected appearance by Obama and former president Bill Clinton at a White House briefing, and Tapper won for revealing that Obama would ask Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair to resign.

•Peter Baker of The New York Times, for winning the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage, for stories dubbed "the education of a president."

•Michael Berens of The Seattle Times, for winning the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. Berens uncovered flaws in a health care plan for seniors that resulted in neglect, abuse and even death.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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Obama mocks Trump's presidential ambitions

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama exacted his revenge Saturday after weeks of attacks from his would-be Republican challenger Donald Trump, joking that the billionaire businessman could bring change to the White House, transforming it from a stately mansion into a tacky casino with a whirlpool in the garden.

var data = blocks.columnist;if (data != undefined){document.getElementById('columnistmug').innerHTML=data;} By Chris Kleponis, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama listens to introductions at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner Saturday in Washington.

By Chris Kleponis, AFP/Getty Images

President Obama listens to introductions at the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner Saturday in Washington.

With Trump in attendance, Obama used the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star's presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.

After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to "where are Biggie and Tupac?"

"No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than 'the Donald,'" Obama said, referring to Trump's claims the same day that he was responsible for solving the issue.

For Trump's decision to fire actor Busey instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: "These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir."

And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. "Trump" was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.

Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off.

"Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising," said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. "I just assumed he was running as a joke."

Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticize the real estate tycoon.

Obama and Trump found themselves in the same room after an intense week of attacks from Trump, who has piggybacked on the birther conspiracies and even Obama's refusal to release his university grades to raise the profile of his possible presidential bid.

And the birth certificate was clearly the key punchline for the evening, which typically offers the president a chance to show off his humorous side and a town consumed by politics and partisanship to enjoy a light-hearted affair.

Obama's presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan's patriotic anthem, "Real American," played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film, "The Lion King."

On the serious side, Obama took time to thank the troops for their service overseas and noted that the people of the South, especially Alabama, have suffered heart-wrenching losses.

"The devastation is unbelievable and it is heartbreaking," he said. He encouraged the journalists in the room to help tell the stories of those who have been hurt by the storms and saluted those who lost their lives while covering the news.

Other possible Republican presidential hopefuls in attendance were former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. And stars such as Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson also were among the more than 2,500 people who attended.

The association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner. Some of the proceeds from the dinner pay for journalism scholarships for college students.

Several journalists were honored at the dinner:

•Dan Balz of The Washington Post and Jake Tapper of ABC News, for winning the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure. Balz won for coverage of an unexpected appearance by Obama and former president Bill Clinton at a White House briefing, and Tapper won for revealing that Obama would ask Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair to resign.

•Peter Baker of The New York Times, for winning the Aldo Beckman award for sustained excellence in White House coverage, for stories dubbed "the education of a president."

•Michael Berens of The Seattle Times, for winning the Edgar A. Poe Award for excellence in coverage of news of national or regional significance. Berens uncovered flaws in a health care plan for seniors that resulted in neglect, abuse and even death.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

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Yemen presidential deal faces protests

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- A mass of protesters took to the streets of Sanaa on Sunday to protest against a deal brokered by Persian Gulf nations that grants Yemen's president immunity from prosecution, witnesses said.

The protests spread across 14 provinces Sunday, according to witnesses and journalists on the ground. Witnesses reported hundreds of thousands of protesters in Sanaa alone.

On Saturday, Yemeni officials said the country's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, had accepted a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council under which he would step down.

Both Saleh and the Yemeni opposition have agreed to the deal in principle. But Saleh has yet to sign the agreement, which stipulates he leave office within 30 days and provides complete immunity for him and those who served in his regime, said a senior foreign ministry official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The agreement also calls for a unity government to be formed within seven days.

Yaseen Noman, president of Yemen's largest opposition group, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) bloc, told journalists Saturday that members accepted the GCC proposal but had two comments -- they did not want to participate in a unified government, and they cannot force protesters to go home.

The Organizing Committee of the Youth Revolution denounced the proposal in a written statement Sunday.

"We the youth of revolution reject any proposal that does not hold Saleh accountable for the killing over 140 revolution protesters," the committee said.

The group also said it rejected the GCC proposal because it did not call for an immediate ouster of Saleh. The committee also said the GCC effort came to save the regime -- not to help the people.

Mohammed Albasha, spokesman for the Yemeni Embassy in Washington, said the opposition has to accept the final deal before Saleh will sign.

According to Yemeni government spokesman Abdu Ganadi, the ruling party said the opposition must accept the proposal completely or reject it -- partial agreements will not be accepted.

The GCC -- a bloc of six oil-producing Gulf nations -- has been working to ease tensions between Saleh and an increasingly restive opposition.

Previously, the opposition JMP bloc had objected to the Gulf initiative for failing to state clearly that Saleh must step down.

Even after agreeing to the deal, Saleh lashed out at the opposition, accusing them of "receiving dirty money to topple the government."

"We are very interested in preventing bloodshed because the Yemeni blood is very precious and the opposition can't drag us to killing each other," Saleh said. "Civil war will not only affect Yemen, but also the whole region and the international security.

He said the JMP was trying to grab power outside the framework of democracy.

"I am ready to quit, but according to the constitution, which stipulated change through the ballot boxes and free elections," he said.

Violent anti-government demonstrations have erupted for many weeks across Yemen and the chorus calling for Saleh's ouster has grown louder.

Saleh has been in power since 1978 and served as a staunch U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He has argued he should stay in power because he is best equipped to fight Islamic militants.

He has also said he accepts opposition demands for constitutional reforms and holding parliamentary elections by the end of the year. He promised not to run for president in the next round of elections.

But earlier this month, Saleh said he would not offer any more concessions to those demanding reforms.

CNN's Christine Theodorou and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.

CNN

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Trump's Strength in Early Presidential Polls Defies Conventional Wisdom

FoxNews.com

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A top adviser for President Obama dismisses him as a "sideshow." Former Bush adviser Karl Rove calls him a "joke candidate."

But that hasn't stopped Donald Trump, who has captured national attention with his outspoken skepticism of Obama's citizenship, from surging in early presidential polls. He leads all potential GOP presidential candidates by nine points in a Public Policy Polling survey released Friday. He trailed only Mitt Romney in a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released last week.

The real estate mogul and star of NBC's "The Apprentice" says he's encouraged by the polls, but won't make an announcement about his plans for a presidential bid until June. Yet he'll be in Florida this weekend to speak at a Tea Party Tax Day rally in his first political trip since he began making waves with talks of a possible presidential bid.

Despite Trump's early strong showing, many still aren't convinced of his electability and analysts say he will have to go beyond the so-called "birther" cause and define himself for Republican primary voters on social, fiscal and foreign policy issues.

Cary Covington, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, attributes Trump's high poll numbers more to a weak Republican field than to Trump's strengths as a potential candidate.

"The Republican Party right now hasn't found that resonant individual who speaks to the various bases the way a Bush or Reagan did and until they do

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Arizona Legislature OKs Presidential 'Birther' Bill

A woman walks past a sign directing voters to a polling place in the Phoenix, Arizona November 2, 2010. (AP)

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Legislature gave final approval late Thursday night to a proposal that would require President Obama and other presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens before their names can appear on the state's ballot.

Arizona would become the first state to require such proof if Gov. Jan Brewer signs the measure into law.

Republican Rep. Carl Seel of Phoenix, the author of the bill, said the bill wasn't about opposition to Obama. "This bill is about the integrity of our elections," Seel said.

Thirteen other states have considered similar proposals this year. The proposals were defeated in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maine and Montana.

The bill won final approval from the state House in a 40-16 vote.

So-called "birthers" contend since the last presidential election that Obama is ineligible to hold the nation's highest elected office because, they argue, he was actually born in Kenya, his father's homeland. The Constitution said a person must be a "natural-born citizen" to be eligible for the presidency.

Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed Obama's citizenship, and his Hawaiian birth certificates have been made public. Even though the courts have rebuffed lawsuits challenging Obama's eligibility, the issue hasn't gone away.

"It's a fringe issue in my view, and it's going to cause people to look again at Arizona and say what's all this craziness going on there," said Democratic Rep. Daniel Patterson of Tucson, an opponent of the bill.

The Arizona proposal would require political parties and presidential candidates to hand in affidavits stating a candidate's citizenship and age and to provide the candidate's birth certificate and a sworn statement saying where the candidate has lived for 14 years.

If candidates don't have a copy of their birth certificates, they could meet the requirement by providing baptismal or circumcision certificates, hospital birth records and other documents.

If it can't be determined whether candidates who provided documents in place of their birth certificates are eligible to appear on the ballot, the secretary of state would be able to set up a committee to help determine whether the requirements have been met.

The names of candidates can be kept off the ballot if the secretary of state doesn't believe the candidates met the citizenship requirement.

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Mitt Romney Announces Exploratory Committee for 2012 Presidential Bid

AP

FILE: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, are greeted in Bartlett, N.H. on March 5.

Mitt Romney announced Monday he's forming an exploratory committee, the first step toward launching a presidential bid.

In a YouTube video accompanied by a Twitter announcement, the former Massachusetts governor said it's time to restore America's greatness.

"It's time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington," he says in the two-and-a-half minute video, "Believe in America," taped at the University of New Hampshire. 

In the video, Romney adds that President Obama's policies have failed because "he and virtually all the people around him have never worked in the real economy. They just don't know how jobs are created in the private sector."

Romney made the announcement one day shy of the fifth anniversary of the passage of Massachusetts' health care law that Obama and Democrats mockingly say was the model for the president's health care law, reviled by Republicans. 

Romney has said the plan was changed many times from its original inception, but nonetheless health care is a state-by-state decision.

Romney, a businessman who ran Salt Lake City's Winter Olympics, has lined up donors, staff and advisers for his expected presidential bid. He has quietly built a by-the-books campaign organization that is stacked with experienced presidential operatives. 

In his announcement video, recorded Monday, he underscored what is expected to be his overarching campaign theme. 

"From my vantage point in business and in government, I have become convinced that America has been put on a dangerous course by Washington politicians, and it has become even worse during the last two years," Romney said. "But I am also convinced that with able leadership, America's best days are still ahead."

Romney lost the Republican nomination to John McCain in 2008. He had invested more than $40 million of his own money into the 2008 race and counted on early wins in bellwether states Iowa and New Hampshire that never developed.

Click here to view the YouTube video.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Ron Paul 'close' to joining 2012 presidential race

PreviousObama poses test for Kaine in Va. Senate race

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Deeper pockets in fashion for 2012 presidential race

By Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

Obama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency.

EnlargeCloseBy Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

Obama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency.

"This could easily be a $2 billion presidential election, and that's just for the nominees," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

At that level, candidates would spend as much to win the White House as the Walt Disney Co. spent on U.S. advertising in 2009, according to Advertising Age.

POLITICS: Obama quietly throws hat in 2012 ring by passing itObama shattered fundraising records in 2008 when he collected more than $745 million to win a protracted primary and capture the presidency — driven partly by small-donor enthusiasm. That's more than twice what his Republican opponent, John McCain, collected and more than four times what George W. Bush collected in 2000. This time around, Obama is aggressively courting deep-pocketed donors. Obama's campaign already has asked more than 400 fundraisers to collect at least $350,000 each by year's end.

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