"You let the surplus sit there in this town and people will spend it," Mr. Hastert said at a recent fund-raiser.

His supporters include celebrities like William Baldwin, the actor who was a host of the recent fund-raiser.

They were talking about Mr. Halpin's recent $300-a-person fund-raiser, an affair that drew 1,000 people who like a winner.

At one recent fund-raiser, an old friend was introducing him and joked that Mr. Clinton had aged appreciably in the last seven years.

Mr. Biaggi has already spent more than $500,000 in legal fees, partly financed by campaign funds and recent fund-raisers.

Instead, they said, Mr. Giuliani's supporters donated the money at a recent fund-raiser.

At a recent fund-raiser, the Washington Opera took in an extraordinary $2.6 million, thanks to the charming presence of Domingo.

Local officials have contributed money to keep the department running, and a recent fund-raiser brought in $6,000.

"The next big challenge is child care," Mr. Clinton said at a recent fund-raiser here, noting the tensions between work and home life.

A recent fund-raiser featured local artists preparing barbecue from their native countries.