The Republican presidential primary of 2000 featured a particularly vicious contest between Sen. John McCain and George W. Bush but when it comes to big money, all is forgiven. President Bush has sent his biggest donors and bundlers McCain's way now that McCain is the presumptive frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

John McCain, flush with the fundraising prospects bestowed upon the Republican frontrunner for the presidential nomination, is opting back out of the presidential public financing system, after months of doing one-foot-in-one-foot out with the matching funds program, as Adam Bonin explains.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is hinting at the possibility of opting in to the presidential public financing program for the primary election, triggering debate over whether opting in (and perhaps standing at a significant financial disadvantage compared to some rivals) proves the continued relevance of the public financing program, or is a signal of a dying campaign.

Will John McCain's campaign be the next to feel the fatal squeeze of the dollar chase? As he sheds campaign staff and re-considers opting into the public financing program nearly all the candidates have turned down, McCain is an object lesson in how lopsided our elections have become in favoring the best check-collectors: the viability of his campaign is being judged on the money, not the merits.

So, what happens when a guy who's made his reputation in the Senate in part by pushing for stronger campaign finance regulations and speaking out against the influence of certain core constituencies of campaign donors tries to run for President...and needs campaign cash from the usual suspects? This New York Times assessment of Sen. John McCain's fundraising efforts indicates that the handicap is significant.

The Hill's frontpage article today sniffs around the fundraising activities of top Republican presidential contenders and finds them cleaning up among the "glitterati" on the K Street lobbying corridor, who are more than happy to trade a bundle of checks now for a bundle of favors later. I wouldn't call them the glitterati though (this is Washington "Hollywood for Ugly People" DC after all). Maybe "donorati"?