In campaign news, the race between John Kerry and Georgia Bush began in earnest yesterday after Kerry’s chief opponent Senator John Edwards dropped out of the race. Edwards praised Kerry was a man of QUOTE “great strength and great courage.” Meanwhile President Bush began a two-day fundraising spree through California where he hopes to raise $5 million. Political analysts estimate that President Bush’s campaign currently has about $100 million more than Kerry. The Bush campaign announced yesterday the launch of what may be the most expensive advertising campaign in presidential history. Three of the four new ads feature images of the smoldering and charred shell of the World Trade Center still standing. The International Association of Firefighters–which supports Mr. Kerry–criticized the ads saying “Bush is calling on the biggest disaster in our country’s history, and indeed in the history of the fire service, to win sympathy for his campaign.” Bush also spoke last night at a $25,000 a plate fundraiser for Republican National Committee dinner at the home of A. Jerrold Perenchio. The Washington Post reports the dinner raised $3.5 million for the RNC. Perenchio is a billionaire sports promoter and chairman of the Spanish-language media giant Univision. Last year the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission gave him a near-monopoly over the Spanish-language media by approving the merger between Univision and the Hispanic Broadcasting Corp.