Rock star. Obama’s bathing suit shots just made a People Magazine spread.

Ana Marie must positively have the vapors.

As for good-looking candidates who won’t find themselves media darlings anytime soon, Mitt Romney was on the phone all day today, with pretty good results. The Boston Globe reports “more than a million,” but HotLine is saying $6.5 mil, which would be much more interesting, indeed.

…a figure that may have eclipsed a record and, in any event, shoots a bright flare in the direction of Romney’s potential 2008 rivals, most notably Sen. John McCain and Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

From the Globe:

Romney’s campaign has taken over the third floor of the convention center, packing the giant exhibition hall with tables topped with black phones and laptops. A quiet murmur fills the room. Hanging from the ceiling are four giant TV screens showing a photo slideshow with scenes from Romney’s life.

At the lead table is former Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld, who alternates between making phone calls and checking his BlackBerry. Seated to his right is Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, a key political supporter of Romney’s campaign. To Weld’s left is Bob White, a former business colleague and one of Romney’s closest friends, who, while on the phone, can be seen pacing and gesturing forcefully with his hands. His nametag says, simply, “Bob.”

Sounds solid, but my first reaction was to question the choice of motivational music (emphasis mine):

When Romney and his wife, Ann, walked into the room this morning, the Supertramp anthem “Give a Little Bit” (as covered by the Goo Goo Dolls) was blaring through loudspeakers. Supporters gave them a rousing ovation.

But if $6.5 is the number, I don’t suppose Romney should listen to little ol’ me. The NYT says $2.5 mil by mid-afternoon.

For perspective, a Laura Bush luncheon for an ‘06 House candidate raised $225,000, and the President raised $400,000 at an ‘06 governor’s race fundraiser and almost $1 million at a Talent for Senate event. Given that those two are, of course, two of the party’s biggest fundraisers, that makes the Romney figure sound pretty darn good. Methinks many folks, like myself, are itching for a non-McCain.

Sen. Brownback, however, messed with Mitt’s party time by putting out a press release naming a group of seven Massachusetts social cons who call Brownback “the clear choice.”

Meanwhile, the actual McCain is getting things ready in South Carolina, and you can go ahead and put this baby on your calendar:

South Carolina Democrats will hold the first debate of the 2008 presidential cycle on April 26 at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg County, the largest concentration of black voters in this early voting state.

The hour and a half debate at the historically black college will be televised by MSNBC, state party officials said Monday.

I can’t wait to hear how thick the John-Edwardian accent gets when he’s back home. I also can’t wait for him to decide which Carolina he’s from before he shows up in Orangeburg. Edwards has always been very certain that there are two Americas, but the distinction between the two Carolinas (you know, the one that’s actually on the map) has always seemed somewhat less clear to him. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the political expedience of claiming two home states depending on which home state he’s in.

Update: Someone thinks Obama shouldn’t run?

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