Opinion: Money Man

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Amid all the signs of his own party turning on him — or, at the least, simply ignoring his wishes — President Bush still functions as fundraiser-in-chief for his fellow Republicans. Tonight, for instance, he’s got top billing at a Washington gala expected to raise major bucks for the GOP’s Senate and House campaign commitees.

Here’s the upcoming event, though, that would seem a particular challenge for White House speechwriters. Next Thursday, Bush travels to Mobile, Ala., to headline a $1,000 per person fundraiser for Sen. Jeff Sessions. That would be the same Jeff Sessions who has spent the last few weeks eviscerating the immigration bill near and dear to the president’s heart; the same Jeff Sessions who, when Bush rhetorically ripped the measure’s critics in late May, complained about ‘hurtful language.’

Bush, during his high-profile, private meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill Tuesday aimed at resurrecting the stalled immigration bill, made a glancing reference to his breach with Sessions when he promised to still make it to Mobile (the San Francisco Chronicle has a good account of the moment).

Still, we’re betting that the First Couple (Laura Bush also is making the trip) won’t be spending a lot of private time with Sessions and his kin. The senator was one of many GOP opponents of the immigration bill who, after Wednesday’s luncheon meeting, made clear that their position remains unchanged.

Indeed, according to a Washington Times story on the gathering, Sessions took umbrage to Bush’s account of the discussions as ‘highly emotional.’

— Don Frederick