Monday, April 3, 2006; A02

Pace Yourself, Senator

Nine hundred forty-six days until Election Day 2008, and John McCain is already sprinting. The senator from Arizona, a highly likely candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, will appear today in College Station, Tex., with George H.W. Bush at his presidential library. The appearance with the elder Bush -- Texas is in play for once in a Republican primary -- is the latest sign President Bush's team is rallying around McCain for 2008 as the best chance to keep the White House from going Democratic.

After returning to Washington, where he will give more speeches and his immigration legislation is on the Senate floor, McCain will have events in New Hampshire on Friday and Saturday. Then, he will keynote the Polk County Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in Florida on Saturday night, to be followed by -- burp -- the Broward County Lincoln-Reagan dinner on Sunday.

YOUR VOTE, POR FAVOR : With the Senate's immigration debate ongoing, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce picked a good time to be in Washington for its annual legislative conference. Tomorrow, the group will hear from Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), a presidential prospect; Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales; Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.); and the peripatetic McCain. On Wednesday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), Surgeon General Richard Carmona and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) will speak.

YO-YO MA PLAYS CAPITOL HILL : The world-renowned cellist gives a (verbal) performance tomorrow before the House Government Reform Committee, which is holding a hearing titled "A Symphony in F-Minus: The Impact of Visa Processing Delays on the Arts, Education and American Innovation." The next day, the House will take up a measure to end a discordant note of the 2004 campaign. The "527 Reform Act," sponsored by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), would close a loophole by regulating 527 groups, which spent tens of millions of dollars on ads.

HOG HEAVEN : Citizens Against Government Waste will release its 2006 "Congressional Pig Book" on Wednesday. Last year's report found 13,997 pork projects in 13 spending bills worth a total of $27.3 billion. The House, meanwhile, will try Wednesday to pass its very fragile version of a 2007 budget, which could fall apart if moderate Republicans don't obey the leadership's orders.

-- Dana Milbank