IRVINE, CA — While John McCain is hosting a number of potential running mates and their wives this weekend at his vacation home in Sedona, AZ, the campaign tells Fox that the gathering is not related to the VP search.

The presumptive GOP nominee is hosting 10 couples at his home this holiday weekend for a BBQ, including LA Gov. Bobby Jindal, FL Gov. Charlie Crist and former rival Mitt Romney–all names being thrown around as potential running mates. But other McCain friends and confidantes will be on the guest list as well, including SC Sen. Lindsey Graham.

A McCain adviser calls the weekend gathering “purely social,” and says no VP vetting is on the agenda.

McCain completes his week of campaigning and fundraising Thursday in Stockton, CA and is scheduled to fly to Sedona tomorrow night.

A spokesperson for Jindal confirms the Governor’s weekend visit, adding that he plans to discuss “issues important to the future growth of Louisiana.”

“Governor Bobby Jindal and First Lady Supriya Jindal are going to Arizona for the Memorial Day weekend to spend time with Senator John McCain and Cindy McCain at their ranch. The Governor has met with the Senator many times before and discussed the challenges facing the Gulf Coast region as communities continue to rebuild,”said Jindal spokeswoman Melissa Sellers. ” The Governor looks forward to joining Senator McCain and his other guests this weekend, and he values this as another opportunity to meet with a national leader, and the potential next President of the United States, to discuss issues important to the future growth of Louisiana.”

McCain has hosted campaign surrogates–and potential VPs–at his Sedona home during the last couple months. During the weekend of February 29, he hosted a few other names in the VP hunt including—UT Gov. Jon Huntsman, NC Sen. Richard Burr, MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty and SD Sen John Thune, among other elected leaders.

Campaign advisers have been extremely reluctant to discuss any details about the ongoing VP search for months and have only confirmed that McCain his heading up the search committee himself.

For the McCain campaign, the final April fundraising numbers provide some good news and some bad news.

While the presumptive GOP nominee raised a personal record total of $17.8 million and finished the month with more than $21.7 million in cash on hand according to his campaign’s Federal Election Commission filing, McCain’s money figures still pale in comparison to the numbers put up by likely rival Barack Obama.

Despite facing an ongoing primary fight and losing four of five contests (TX, OH, RI and PA) in April, Obama still raised $31.3 million and went into May with $37.3 million in the campaign war chest. Additionally, more than 50 percent of Obama’s cash came from small donors in increments of $25 or less, while April saw McCain attend nearly daily big money fundraisers around the country. Additionally, the McCain campaign is increasingly focusing it’s attention on big donors, setting up a Victory Fund in coordination with the RNC last month that enables supporters to give up to $70,000 through multiple channels.

However, McCain campaign advisers are pointing to the large haul last month by the Republican National Committee and it’s mammoth cash advantage over the Democratic National Committee. The RNC outraised the DNC by $11 million in April–$15.7 million vs. $4.7 million–and finished the month with a nearly $35 million cash advantage–$40.1 vs. $4.4 million.

When combined, McCain/RNC fundraising nearly matches the Obama/DNC total and the GOPers hold a $20 million+ advantage in cash on hand. While Obama, Clinton and the DNC set up a joint fundraising committee in the last week and the DNC has launched multiple ads and efforts attacking McCain, the continuing primary fight still formally prevents Obama and the DNC from completely coordinating fundraising, messaging and political efforts. McCain and the RNC have no such issue have been working in unison for nearly three months.

President Bush will hit the money trail with McCain in Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon for a major fundraiser–including a private reception for donors giving $25,000+. The President will then join Mitt Romney (without McCain) for two fundraisers in Utah the following day, including an evening event for donors giving or collecting a minimum of $30,800 at Romney’s Park City, UT home.

Sen. McCain is set to appear on Saturday Night Live next weekend, giving us a good excuse to take a glimpse back at his October 2002 SNL appearance.

In the skit above, he (painfully tries to) sing Barbra Streisand’s greatest hits like “Memories” and “People,” before going back to his straight talk: “Do I know how to sing? About as well as she knows how to govern America!”

During his press conference in Jersey City today, Sen. McCain indicated that he is on the verge of getting behind the Lieberman-Warner climate change legislation:

“I’m pleased in negotiations and discussion with Senator Lieberman that there will be a far more important nuclear component of this legislation that’s going to be coming to the floor. I hope that it will be passed and I hope that the entire Congress will join in supporting it and the President of the United States would sign it,” McCain said, also taking a shot at his Democratic opponents as he added that, “Senator Lieberman and I brought the issue to the floor of the Senate long before Senator Obama or Senator Clinton had any involvement with it whatsoever.”

The presumptive GOP nominee may risk some heat from business groups like the US Chamber of Commerce, which currently opposes the legislation.

McCain, who will be rolling out his energy and environment policy next week during events in Oregon and Washington state, also said Friday that he will make comprehensive global climate change pact a priority.

“As president, I will dedicate myself to addressing the issue of climate change globally. I will work as my highest priority to have a global agreement that includes India and China,” he added.

Sen. McCain and his mother co-star in a Mother’s Day ad set to air on on ABC Family, A&E, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, Oxygen and TLC. The TV spot comes out just as the GOPer is battling the age issue.

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COLUMBIA, SC — Asked if he is prepared to take on Barack Obama today, John McCain didn’t pause.

“Oh I’m ready,” he told reporters at a press conference in South Carolina. “I’m ready to take to the American people the challenges of the issues we face. Whether it be raising your taxes as Senator Obama wants to do. Something like capital gains where 100 million Americans have an investment or have the government make the decisions on health care or the family or certainly issues such as national security.”

McCain continued his assault on Obama’s foreign policy vision in his second media availabilty in less than four hours.

“Senator Obama continues to say he would sit down and negotiate with the president of Iran who yesterday called the state of Israel a stinking corpse,” McCain said. “That’s a dramatic difference between my view of the relations with a state sponsor of terror that is exporting lethal explosive devices into Iraq killing Americans and I would not give them the respect or the ability to enhance their prestige by sitting down and talking to the head of the state sponsor of terrorism who repeats his country’s dedication to the extinction of the state of Israel.”

The Arizona Senator also commented on the escalating violence in Lebanon, condemning what he feels is Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs.

“The Syrians are obviously playing a role and would like to a reassert or increase their influence in Lebanon and its affairs,” McCain said. “I think that obviously pressure (has) to be brought to bear on Syria, who is the major motivator I think of a lot of their continued effort to gain control of Lebanon and continue the influence they have had for a long period of time. And I would recommend that we of course convene other and work with other nations who have an interest in Lebanon and peace in the region.”

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JERSEY CITY, NJ — McCain laughs off suggestions he didn’t vote for President Bush in 2000, saying the accusation marks the start of political “silly season.”

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JERSEY CITY, NJ – Sen. John McCain struck back at his likely Democratic rival Friday, arguing that a senior Hamas adviser’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama is a “legitimate point of discussion,” after Obama called the issue a “smear.”

“It’s very obvious to everyone that Senator Obama shares nothing of the values or the goals of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, I think that that’s obvious and I’ve certainly never implied anything else,” McCain told reporters a press conference in the Garden State Friday. “But it’s also a fact that a spokesperson from Hamas said that he approves of Senator Obama’s candidacy. I think that’s of interest to the American people and that is something that needs to be discussed–why his policies should meet the approval of a spokesperson for Hamas. I believe that’s a legitimate point of discussion.”

McCain was responding to comments made by Sen. Obama on CNN yesterday where the Illinois Senator accused the GOPer of smearing him by using the Hamas endorsement and then took a jab at his age.

“For him to toss out comments like that, I think, is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name-calling in this debate,” Obama told CNN Thursday.

While McCain said Friday that he ignored the comments, the campaign’s senior adviser Mark Salter released a memo Thursday that hammered Obama for bringing up McCain’s age and “trying desperately to delegitamize the discussion of issues that raise legitimate questions about his judgment and preparedness to be President of the United States.” (FULL MEMO AFTER JUMP)

For his part, McCain said Friday that he agrees that age is a legitimate topic for the campaign but quickly pivoted to the Jeremiah Wright issue, adding that Obama’s pastor is just as legitimate an issue.

“Every issue that the American people want to be an issue and it’s part of their discussions, it’s fine with me, it’s fine with me. Just as the Reverend Wright’s remarks, I don’t believe that senator Obama shares his views in any way but he has said that It is a legitimate topic of discussion. If that’s what the American people want to discuss, that’s fine,” McCain said. “I’ll continue to try to introduce them to my 96-year-old mother and display the same vigor and same energy that I have been able to display throughout this campaign which allowed me to win the nomination of my party. Any discussion, in my view, of any issue that the American people think is legitimate is up to them.”

For good measure, CT Sen. Joe Lieberman, who accompanied McCain to the press conference said that Americans can be assured that the presumptive GOP nominee’s “bearings” are in place.

“I just want to report that this morning I personally checked John McCain’s bearings. He has not lost any of them. They are really in great shape,” Lieberman said.

(more…)

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ROCHESTER, MI — Asked about his infamous temper today, John McCain delivered a rousing response, exclaiming that he is just as angry as the rest of America with the corruption and wasteful spending in Washington.

“I will confess to you my friend that I get angry…I get angry when I see corruption to the point where we have former members of Congress residing in federal prison,” McCain said at a townhall meeting Wednesday, sounding at times like the Howard Beale character from the film “Network.” “And you know something? The American people are angry too and they’re not going to take it anymore. And that’s why they want change. And they’re mad and they’ve lost their temper. You know? These townhall meetings, ask them if they’re not mad! Ask ‘em. Ask ‘em the way their tax dollars and spending has gone completely out of control.”

Though journalists frequently ask McCain about his temperament, the question rarely come sup at townhall meetings. The questioner, a self-described Republican man said McCain’s temper was a “concern” before going on to quote Sen. Thad Cochran’s statement that McCain is too “erratic” and “hotheaded” to be President.

McCain initially joked with him, responding “how dare you ask that question? Take that microphone away from him,” drawing laughter from the crowd.

McCain went on to add, “I get angry when I saw a guy named Abramoff that ripped off Native Americans for millions and millions and millions of dollars and people ended up, including him, in federal prison. I get angry when I see 233 million of your tax dollars going to…a bridge to an island with 50 people on it. And that’s your dollars.”

Here is the scene from “Network:”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a leader of the social conservative community, is a fan of today’s remarks:

From a release….

“Senator McCain’s speech will be well- received by millions of Americans alarmed by activist judges who undermine the rule of law by legislating from the bench.

“We applaud Senator McCain for his support of federal judges who will apply the U.S. Constitution. He is correct in criticizing both federal judges who presume to ‘make law instead of apply it’ and the obstructionist Senate Democratic leaders who continue to deny hearings to well-qualified judicial nominees.

“The Senate Democratic leadership views the judiciary as a tool to dictate social policy. If they can’t pass a hate-crimes law, they will support judges who will install one from the bench. If they can’t overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, they will find a judge to declare it unconstitutional.

“Essentially, the Democrats in the Senate have committed themselves to obstruct and pervert the judicial process until the time, they hope, when a liberal president can nominate judicial activists to reshape the social policy landscape of America.

“I thank Senator McCain for the commitment he made today to ‘restore the standards and spirit that give the judicial branch its place of honor in our government…. Every federal court should be a refuge from abuses of power, and not the source’ of them.”