Opinion: John McCain, aided by Sarah Palin, reports an August cash haul

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Lost in the long weekend’s focus on Hurricane Gustav and the pregnancy announcement concerning Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old, unwed daughter was this: John McCain’s campaign has become a money-raising machine in its own right, indisputably showing it can play in the same league as Barack Obama.

For August, the almost-official Republican presidential nominee raked in about $47 million -- his best monthly showing yet, significantly more than the $27 million he raised in July and ever-so-close to the $51 million Obama took in that month.

No word yet from the Obama forces on their bottom line for August. No doubt it will be a hefty number, but McCain and his backers would get a psychological boost if they best the Democrat for the month.

McCain already was headed for a strong August when, with three days left in the month, he selected Alaska Gov. Palin as his running mate on Friday. The pick fired up social conservatives and resulted in a $10-million fundraising spurt through Sunday, Jim Kuhnhenn of the Associated Press reports.

-- Don Frederick