Last night I attended the National Republican Senatorial Committee's 
reception at Senator Frist's home in DC.  (Frist is the NRSC chairman this 
cycle.)  Enron, including Jeff and Linda, had been invited to the reception, 
the purpose of which was to introduce ex-RNC chairman Haley Barbour as the 
NRSC's National Finance Chairman.  Present were over a dozen Republican 
senators, including Minority Leader Lott, Whip Nickles, and Sens. Kay Bailey 
Hutchison, Bunning (KY), Fitzgerald (IL), Cochran (MS), Inhofe (OK), Bond 
(MO), Crapo (ID), Voinovich (OH), Allen (VA), and Chafee (RI).

The "news" from our perspective is that Haley Barbour singled out Ken Lay for 
praise as the first person to step to the plate and agree to help with their 
new "Majority Makers" program.  This is the effort that Barbour will head up 
to raise $21 million for this election cycle by concentrating on events 
outside DC that would target businesses and business leaders without a DC 
presence.  Barbour said that Ken had agreed to organize and chair a Houston 
fundraiser to raise $1 million toward the $21 million total.  Ken was the 
first name he mentioned.  The only others were the DeVos family in Michigan 
and Julie Finley, a major GOP fundraiser based in DC.

Needless to say, I was suddenly quite "popular" after Haley made his remarks 
to the assembled group.  Haley said he looked forward to working with us on 
this project.

As you know from a previous e-mail, Pat Shortridge had earlier seen our 
mutual friend Mitch Bainwol, the executive director of the NRSC, who had told 
Pat at lunch last week that Haley had spoken with Ken, but last night was the 
first I had heard a dollar figure -- and a big one at that -- linked to the 
effort.  While it was not stated, I assume from the location and size of the 
event's goal that the President would be involved (but this is only an 
educated assumption on my part).

Later I saw Karen Hughes of the White House staff, but I do not think she was 
present when Haley made his comments.