Clinton’s birthday bash brings in $1.5 million

NEW YORK – The key number from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s birthday extravaganza Thursday night was $1.5 million, the approximate amount of cash she raked in thanks to Elvis Costello and Billy Crystal.

The Clintons have always blurred the lines between personal, political and financial, and Thursday night’s 60th birthday party at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre, with 3,000 paying guests, was perhaps the crowning example.

“Happy Birthday, Mrs. President,” crooned Costello, echoing Marilyn Monroe’s serenade of President Kennedy.

Clinton, standing under three giant pictures of herself, took the stage with a dig at Rudy Giuliani, the Yankees fan who said last week that he’s rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series.

“I have been a fan – and I remain a fan – of the Yankees, no changes, no looking to curry favor with anybody else,” said Clinton, turning the tables on the mayor, who has derided her loyalty to the team as political pandering.

Bill Clinton, standing next to his daughter, Chelsea, introduced his wife by recalling their meeting at Yale Law School 37 years ago. “She was just 23 when we met – the poor child didn’t know any better,” he joked.

The birthday was also a serious cash generator, raising around $1.5 million, a campaign source said.

“I always thought it was impolite to talk about a lady’s age,” said Costello. At the end of his set, he serenaded the senator, who has backed off her 2003 vote to authorize the Iraq invasion, with his 1970s hit “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding?”