US: Hundreds of Republicans joined President George Bush for lunch in Minneapolis yesterday - and paid $1,000 each for the pleasure.
Mr Bush may be the most unpopular second-term US president since Richard Nixon but he can still fill the Republicans' campaign coffers faster than anyone else.
The president has raised more than $50 million for Republican candidates this year and he will intensify his efforts in 2006, when one-third of US Senate seats and the entire House of Representatives are up for election.
"The president is proud that he has presided over expansion of the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. And he will continue to campaign actively on behalf of those who share his agenda," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said yesterday.
"And the Republican Party continues to build its majorities because it's the Republican Party that is representing the views of America."
Although some Republican candidates avoid public appearances with Mr Bush, most regard his fundraising prowess as more important than his unpopularity among voters.
The president received a boost this week when a New York Times poll showed his approval rating jump five points to 40 per cent.
A buoyant economy and falling fuel prices appear to be behind the improvement, while the unpopular war in Iraq remains Mr Bush's greatest negative factor.
Americans are evenly divided about the wisdom of invading Iraq but 58 per cent want a timetable for withdrawing US troops and four out of five say the president has not explained how long American soldiers will have to stay in Iraq.
Despite the war's unpopularity, 36 per cent of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for their Congressional representative if he or she advocated an immediate withdrawal, while 21 per cent said they would be more likely to vote for that official.
California's Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader of the House, and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean have called for a speedy withdrawal.
Republicans yesterday released a television ad featuring a white flag waving over images of Ms Pelosi, Mr Dean and former presidential candidate John Kerry calling for an end to the war.
"Our country is at war. Our soldiers are watching. And our enemies are too. Message to Democrats: retreat and defeat are not an option," it says.
Mr Bush has made two speeches on Iraq in the past two weeks, one on security and the other on economic construction. On Monday, the president will talk about the political process in Iraq in advance of next week's elections.
Mr Duffy yesterday denied that the White House was changing its strategy in Iraq because of mistakes it has made since the invasion.
"The president and his team are committed to adapting to changing realities, which are inevitable when you are dealing with a challenge like the one in Iraq.
"We have to win in Iraq; the president is convinced and confident that we will win in Iraq, and defeat the terrorists.
"And part of his strategy is adapting to those changing circumstances.
"So I think the president will continue to talk about how it's necessary to have an evergreen strategy and one that reflects the circumstances on the ground," he said.