WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush, no doubt, has been advised not to spend it all in one place.
But if he did, the $56 million the Texas governor has raised to run for president could buy a small "Vote Bush" sign for the yard of every single-family house in America or treat everyone of voting age to a 25-cent gumball.It's enough to buy a single F-15 fighter jet, which might appeal to Bush since he flew in the National Guard during Vietnam. Or how about 802 Mercedes Benz E55 sedans?
The only limit to how much Bush can spend to seek the Republican nomination is the number of Americans willing to contribute up to $1,000 apiece.
Already, Bush's primary campaign has raised more money than any candidate before him ever spent seeking a presidential nomination. Predicting just how high he can go has become a political parlor game.
"The cap is about $70 million to $75 million that can be raised, just because there aren't that many more folks out there to give," said Scott Reed, who was 1996 Republican nominee Bob Dole's campaign manager.
"I've heard estimates of up to $100 million," said Herbert Alexander, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Southern California.
For now, at least, $56 million is the jaw-dropping number. So just how much is that?
More than was earned last year by singers Celine Dion ($55.5 million) or Garth Brooks ($54 million), according to Forbes magazine.
Enough to stockpile 13 million daily food rations for worldwide disaster victims.
More than the hit movie "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," drew during its opening weekend ($54.7 million).
Enough to finance 24 weeklong search-and-rescue missions like the one carried out by a 90-member U.S. team after the Taiwan earthquake.
The cost of running 5 1/2 minutes of prime time, major network TV advertising every night for one month.
A brightly colored gumball for each of the 202.7 million people of voting age in the United States.
Enough to purchase 62.1 million campaign yard signs -- one for the yard of every single-family detached home in America -- or 466 million "Bush for President" balloons or 622 million combs from A Advertising & Supply of Omaha, Neb., which prints candidates' names on novelty items.
"He could buy a heckuva lot of wooden nickels for that," suggested company president Kirby Ralston. "As corny as they are, they're still a pretty good seller."