President George W. Bush listens to John Bolton speak after Bolton was appointed ambassador to the United Nations during an event at the White House on Aug. 1, 2005.
His political action committee and super PAC (PACs can give limited donations to political candidates, while super PACs can collect unlimited donations for independent expenditures such as campaign ads) — formed to support hawkish candidates and make national security an issue on the midterm campaign trail — raised more than $2.3 million during the Federal Election Commission's second filing quarter, from more than 20,000 donations. More important, the groups still have about $3 million in the bank ready to burn. Unlike many super PACs, which have spent big during a primary season defined by intraparty squabbles, Bolton's super PAC has been saving for the big show. Most of the expenditures have been related to consulting and fundraising -- and have been minimal.
How the heck did Bolton raise millions of dollars for foreign policy during a midterm campaign season? And where might he spend it?
He may not have been spending much money, but Bolton has been assembling an impressive list of e-mail addresses, if his Web footprint is any indicator. And as we've learned in recent presidential campaigns, few things are more important to a nascent presidential bid than a long e-mail list of people who have opened their pockets to you before. Hmm, this Bolton super PAC business is starting to make a lot of sense.