The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

p> THE SILENT HAWK br> Sen. Bob Graham of Florida has been dialing for dollars over the past two weeks. While convalescing from serious heart surgery at first his daughter's home and then his own townhouse, Graham has been using his time calling longtime donors and fundraisers for his presidential campaign. /p>

"He's pulling in a quarter million a day," says a Graham adviser on Capitol Hill. "Not bad for a guy who hasn't been getting out."

Much of Graham's backing is coming from Florida, where he is a Democratic Party icon. Graham has some catching up to do with party comrades already committed to running for president.

Graham has failed to attend the so-called "cattle call" events held over the past month in Washington: the National Abortion Rights conference in Washington and the DNC's winter meeting.

Graham believes, though, that he has one advantage over his other competitors: war with Iraq.

"When war breaks out, the media is going to want a Democrat who's on top of all the security issues, and as ranking Democrat on Intelligence, he's that guy," says the adviser. "He'll be the most visible Democrat during the war. We're banking on it.

With that kind of hope for war, you'd think the senator would be more vocally supportive of the initiative against Iraq.

p> NEW PRESCRITIONS br> With K Street lobbyists saying the Bush Administration's prescription drug plan is already dead on arrival, and growing concerns about his broader Medicare reform and economic stimulus package on Capitol Hill, the White House political team has begun tinkering with them.

topics:
Abortion, Iraq, NATO, Medicare