One of the interesting peripheral stories on the presidential campaign has been the innovative online donation strategies of candidates like Sen. Barack Obama and Rep. Ron Paul to recruit small donors to their effort. This Los Angeles Times story talks about what that shift in strategy has yielded for Obama, and what it means for a move away from traditional big donors politics.

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.

Gerard Wright at the Syndey Morning Herald raises an eyebrow at the cost of the American presidential race as the estimated cost continues to rise. Zeroing in on the immediate "campign in trouble" outcry after Hillary Clinton loaned her own campaign money the article examines money as a "barometer" of public support.

After Super Tuesday, the race was on to establish financial dominance:

Looming recession hasn't scared Wall Street away from investing in the presidential race -- perhaps it's even motivated their giving as they look to shoring up their alliances with whomever comes to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. next year. The big firms are covering their bases with the blue chip candidates and ensuring their calls are taken.

It's Super Tuesday! Voters in 24 states head to the polls to pick the Republican and Democratic nominees for President but the don't let all this talk of voting distract from what really matters: how much money are these people raising, anyway?

This morning Public Campaign Action Fund's Campaign Money Watch project sent a letter to Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul, and Mitt Romney asking them to go on the record promising to do something about the influence of money in our elections, and to support public financing of campaigns.

John Edwards has been vocal on the campaign trail about the need to pass full public financing of elections and seriously address the corrosive influence private money has on our political process.

There's been a lot of talk about the rising power of the small donor in this presidential campaign, from the talk of Barack Obama's large internet fundraising base to Ron Paul's record-breaking online contribution numbers. This article in Business Week investigates the small donor narrative and finds that, for all the hype, big donors are still where the power lies.

The Wall Street Journal comments today on the trend for corporations to "play the field" in presidential politics giving money to multiple candidates on both Democratic and Republican sides to shore up their fortunes for when the next administration comes to town.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson just ducked out of the presidential race and his post-exit interview with Neil Cavuto at Fox News made a pitch for public financing of elections at the federal level to even out the playing field for candidates who have good experience, but lean resources.

Here's where it came up: