By: Jonathan Martin

Mitt Romney held his first conference call Friday with top donors since withdrawing from the GOP race last month, according to sources close to the former governor.  

Speaking to members of his finance committee, Romney urged them to get behind John McCain.

A fundraiser on the call characterized Romney’s message as: “‘I’m with McCain 100 percent.’”

Romney is eager to raise cash for McCain, the source said, and is planning a get-together with some of his major donors next month in Houston to be hosted by L.E. Simmons, a contibutor and oil investor.   The event won’t be a fundraiser, but Romney is hoping to organize something for McCain at around the same time 

Despite the bad blood between the two Republicans during the primary, each said this week that there was no lingering anomosity.   And both have taken steps to heal old wounds.   

McCain tapped Meg Whitman, head of eBay, to serve as a national co-chair.    Whitman was one of Romney’s top donors and is a longtime friend from their days together at Bain & Co.  

Romney went even further, using his first interview since departing the race to attack Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama while touting McCain’s national security credentials.   He portrayed the Democrats as yappering “chihuahuas” and deemed McCain a “big dog” when it comes to handling the nation’s threats.  

Romney also acknowledged in the interview, on Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, that he would accept the opportunity to become McCain’s running mate.    Such interest helps explain in part his desire to raise cash for his onetime foe.   But Romney also wants to be perceived by the party establishment, parts of which were wary of him, as a team player who is now doing his part for the GOP nominee.    

He plans to curry more good favor by setting up some sort of political entity and using it to distribute cash to  Republican candidates.   The organization — Romney sources say it may be a 501(c)4 — would provide him a platform with which to not only dole out money but also to travel and build a small staff.

Becoming vice-president or even the party’s vice-presidential nominee would likely make Romney the party’s frontrunner in the next contested White House race, bet it 2012 or 2016.   But, given the odds against that happening, the next best thing for Romney to further his long-term ambitions is to do all he can for McCain, encouraging his donors to give to him and supporters to work for him, 

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