By Chris Cillizza And Shailagh Murray
Sunday, June 10, 2007; A02

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has vowed to raise $100 million for his presidential campaign in 2007 alone. To reach that figure, he's going to need a lot of help from his friends.

The Fix has obtained a list of Giuliani's 97 biggest bundlers, the men and women who will be called upon to raise somewhere between $50,000 and $1 million for Hizzoner's campaign. Of the group, four served as Rangers for President Bush, meaning they raised $200,000 for his campaign, and seven were Pioneers, having collected $100,000, according to a Washington Post analysis. (For the full list, visit The Fix online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/thefix).

"This is a great team that will help ensure our campaign has the necessary resources we need to effectively compete and win the primary," spokeswoman Maria Comella said.

Of course, not all bundlers are created equal. Those entrusted with raising $50,000 ("Sluggers" in Giuliani lingo) are far less depended on than those called on to collect $1 million ("Team Captains").

Here's a closer look at four men who have pledged to raise $500,000 or more for Giuliani:

Paul Singer: Singer is a huge player in the New York hedge fund world. He is a general partner with Elliott Associates.

Ken Langone: The co-founder of Home Depot, Langone is now an investment banker in New York.

James Harvey Lee: Lee is a major behind-the-scenes player in Texas money circles and was a Pioneer for Bush.

T. Boone Pickens: Pickens is a titan of the Texas oil "bidness" and was ranked as the 103rd wealthiest American by Forbes magazine.

News that Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) is likely to return to the chamber in September -- nearly a year after undergoing emergency brain surgery -- has reignited, albeit quietly, chatter about his reelection prospects in 2008.

While acknowledging that talk of Johnson's prospects for winning another term is "still a little on the sensitive side," Sen. John Ensign (Nev.), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said there are three potential candidates considering the race. That trio includes Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who is "someone we have talked a lot to," Ensign said.

Ensign added that if Johnson runs again, it will be paramount that Republicans rally around a single candidate, though he doesn't expect the field to shake out for several more months.

Asked whether that delay would imperil his party's chances of winning the seat, Ensign pointed to his race against now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 1998. Ensign entered the race in November 1997 and came within 428 votes of defeating the Democrat.

Look who's dipping his toe back in the political waters: former senator Robert Torricelli.

The New Jersey Democrat disappeared from public life after he was caught up in an ethics scandal involving one of his donors, forcing him to bow out of his 2002 reelection bid. But he resurfaced a few months ago in a new role: blogger.

Curiously, given Torricelli's blunt and biting style in D.C., his posts are mostly bland musings about property taxes and local politics. His most riveting entry was written on behalf of his St. Bernard, Daisy, and rails against Judi Giuliani for working for a company involved in performing experimental surgeries on dogs.

But what makes Torricelli's blog a fun read are the reader responses. "Robert, Robert, Robert, where should I begin?" writes one man in response to the dog posting. Referring to Torricelli's legal woes, the reader added, "I haven't seen this much baggage since standing near a conveyor belt at Newark Airport the day before Thanksgiving."

Or this one after a rant about Don Imus: "Mr. EX-Senator, Imus said he was sorry? When did YOU become such an unforgiving person????"

63 Days: The famed Ames, Iowa, straw poll, regarded as a VERY early test of the Republican presidential candidates' prospects in the state's caucuses (and providing a boost to the Iowa GOP's coffers). But with Giuliani and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) taking a pass, will it matter this year?

2 Days: Former Tennessee senator Fred D. Thompson (R) continues his television tour de force with an appearance on "The Tonight Show." Is he touting a new movie? Sort of. Call it "The Man Who Would Be President."