Hillary Clinton campaign raisesmore than $10 million in week

WASHINGTON – In a political season already marked by phenomenal fundraising, Hillary Clinton has hit a new high, raking in more than $10 million in just one week.

The old record for raising ridiculous amounts of money – for the entire first three months of a campaign – was set in 2004 by John Edwards, when he led all Democrats with $7.4 million.

Clinton topped that with just three events that raised $8.5 million by themselves, capped by a star-spangled soiree on Saturday for 660 at the home of Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle.

“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it,” said Clinton’s California finance maven, Sim Farar.

The top campaigns all have been downplaying their first-quarter haul to get better press when the fundraising period ends Saturday. But backers of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., still nearly choked when told of Clinton’s $10 million week.

Obama had four events in Florida alone Sunday, but his major paydays have been about half the size of Hillary Clinton’s, such as Obama’s $1.3 million glitterati fest a month ago at the home of Burkle’s neighbor, David Geffen.

Edwards has also been mining gold in Hollywood’s hills, but he has favored the smaller, lower-key events that have marked his money strategy.