At the moment, Presidential hopeful John Edwards is not banking the most bucks in the race to build the largest war chest in the battle for the Democratic nomination for President.

Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are the big money leaders in the donations category. Interestingly enough, on a recent Thursday night here locally, Edwards may have outshined those two contenders in another category - packing a fundraiser with the most supporters. T

he Edwards campaign claims its grassroots fundraiser Small Change for Big Change at the Republic Restaurant and Lounge in Los Angeles on Aug. 9 drew more than 1,450 people. And I was among the throng.

When I got the e-mail invitation a few days earlier for the $15 a person fundraiser, I felt it was an offer I could not pass up. I backed the Kerry/Edwards ticket in 2004 and since then I have supported Elizabeth Edwards in her courageous fight against the big "C".

So that's probably why I got the invite to the Edwards affair and not to the Obama bash across the street in the trendy Area nightclub or the Clinton shindig at The Abbey in West Hollywood- all happening on the same night.

The line had snaked around the Republic by the time I drove up to valet park, at around 5:30 p.m. The event was scheduled to begin in about 15 minutes and run until around 7:30. Traffic on La Cienega Boulevard, between Melrose Place and Melrose Avenue, was crawling along as motorists slowed to gawk at the long line.

I was shocked when the valet told me parking was $15 in advance. Humm, that pushes the price of the event to $30.

Still a little peeved, I walked to the end of the line and waited for it to move. Meanwhile, the line continued to grow behind me. I chatted with a number of folks standing on the sidewalk including Kathy Kanes from Santa Clarita.

Kathy was lucky enough to find parking on the street. When an Edwards volunteer walked up and asked who was paying cash at the door we both stepped out of line.

After a bit of confusion, Kathy and I joined some other cash payers in another line. Eventually, we were allowed to enter the Republic, fill out the required donation form, and hand over our 15 bucks.

The fundraiser was held in the Republic's outdoor patio dubbed The Venue, which had an open roof, some chairs, a few couches, a raised platform for the media, and a small stage.

As you might imagine with more than 1,000 people in attendance, the place was wall-to-wall bodies. The cash bar was raking in the dough selling drinks for $10 a pop and water costing 5 singles.

Security was very tight. I passed so many security personnel on my way upstairs to the ladies room, I half expected to see one of them standing in the toilet stall. I am grateful some wise person decided that would be over the top and probably embarrassing for all involved.

Meanwhile, in the packed Venue, sound from a live feed of the Democratic presidential candidates Human Rights Campaign forum on gay issues mingled with the social chatter. The forum, the first ever, was televised from a local studio and broadcasted by the MTV network's gay and lesbian cable channel, Logo.

Six of the eight leading Democrats running for the White House took part in the discussion: former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, New York Sen. Clinton, Illinois Sen. Obama and former North Carolina Sen. Edwards.

At the Republic, the chitchat died down and the social hobnobbing went into pause when Edwards spoke. He got a rousing round of applause when he defended his wife's public verbal smack down of right-wing commentator Ann Coulter on MSNBC's "Hardball" a few weeks ago.

Many have criticized Coulter for her vicious personal attacks on John Edwards. The ex-Senator did not hold back, calling Coulter a hate monger and insisting, "we have to stand up for what is right" and "speak up with strength and passion."

The noise level dropped dramatically again when Edwards attempted to clarify his position on the most controversial issue of the evening, same-sex marriage.

In the past, Edwards has stated he was against gay marriage on religious grounds. He said that was wrong and admitted, "I shouldn't have said that." Edwards explained he supports civil unions, but remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

When the two-hour forum ended, Edwards came over to the Republic to rally his supporters. Edwards spoke about his One America campaign issues like raising the minimum wage, bringing an end to "the mess in Iraq" as well as battling poverty, and plans for college education and health care for everyone.

At one point, he paraphrased Gandhi and declared, "You have to be the change you believe in." His statements were sprinkled with impressive statistics, conviction, and sincerity, which appeared to touch and stir the crowd. Cheers and applause interrupted Edwards repeatedly.

The presidential contender is lagging behind rivals Clinton and Obama in the polls, but here, in front of this crowd, he was number one.

Edwards ended his appearance by stepping off the stage and into the crowd for a short meet-and-greet session. I was too far in the back of the crowd to get any good photos of this; so I headed for the front door.

I found myself standing near a table at the entrance with some Edwards supporters,among them Sander Shipper and his wife, Ranoo. Talking about dedicated, Sander says he has been in Edwards' camp since 2003 and is now involved in campaigning for him seven days a week in the South Bay.

As we stood there chatting, folks came up and requested Edwards for President bumper stickers and buttons.

Unfortunately, there weren't any around. Apparently the campaign staff had run out of these items or did not bring them to the event. Either way, it was a let down for a lot of people. Also, one man walked over and asked where he could make a donation to the Edwards campaign.

A quick search of the immediate area confirmed that the main money handlers were gone. Another bad move. At the time, there were still hundreds of people milling around inside The Venue. Some of these supporters or guests might have been willing to donate a few more dollars. The Edwards campaign will never know - because no one stayed behind to collect last-minute donations.

Since the fundraiser was essentially a wrap, I walked around to the alley where I had left my car and got another surprise from the valet parking service. I discovered the wait to pick up a vehicle was 45 minutes! I

overheard some vehicle owners opting to go have dinner since it was nearly 8 p.m. I decided to cross the street and check out the Obama affair at the hip Area nightspot.

The photogs were huddled together in a dark section near the entrance. I had my film camera out, so no one objected when I joined the paparazzi. I asked a security guard standing nearby if Obama had arrived. He said yes.

That prompted grumbling and complaints from some of the photo snappers who accused the presidential candidate of snubbing them by walking straight into the club. I guess when you are being called the "rock star candidate" you can blow-off a photo op or two along the way.

I stood next to a young freelancer, Alex Bushong. He is 20 and has been on the celebrity photo circuit for just a few months. A friend of his who works for the popular TMZ.com website turned him on to the gig. Alex was playing it cool, but I could tell he loved the job. I

saw him whip into action twice with his camera. First, when actress Gina Gershon arrived and then later when actor Nick Cannon strolled by. Alex was grinning like a kid in a candy store. I asked if he got some good shots, he said yeah, but the person he was waiting and hoping for was Leonardo DiCaprio.

I don't know if Alex ever got his shot of Leonardo. At around 8:30 I gave up the celebrity watch and did a reality check. I needed to get my car, grab a meal of some kind, and find a quiet place to kick off my high heels and, sigh, rest my weary feet. So I walked back across La Cienega to the valet.

Twenty minutes later, I was relieved to be driving in my car, maneuvering through Hollywood traffic, and headed for home in the San Fernando Valley.