Clooney rakes in the cash for Obama

Updated 14.18 Wed Sep 03 2008

Keywords: george clooney, cash, money, barack obama, fundraiser, election, geneva, president, switzerland

George Clooney raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for US presidential candidate Barack Obama by headlining an exclusive event for American citizens in one of the world's most affluent cities, Geneva.

The Oceans 11 star said: "I'm a big Obama guy. I've been an Obama guy from the very beginning, but I think throwing your weight can often be the elephant in the room if you are not careful."

"I'm a big Obama guy. I've been an Obama guy from the very beginning" - George Clooney

The event was split into two parts - the first was a private cocktail party at the Musee International de la Reforme, where Clooney spoke to around 170 people who paid $1,000 (£500) a head to attend the event.

Obama supporter Sarah Chapman, said: "I think everybody that was there was already fired up, but it only sort of affirmed what we believed already. It was a short speech, he definitely had his talking points down, it's a great delivery, he's very funny."

The second part of the fundraiser was an exclusive dinner at the home of organiser Charles Adams, where 75 invited guests paid a hefty $10,000 (£5,000) for a seat, with many flying into Switzerland from cities as far as Los Angeles, or nearby Prague, Zurich and London.

The two events could infuse more than $900,000 (£450,000) into the Democratic war chest ahead of the November 4 election, which pits the Illinois senator against Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona.

The actor-director was fresh from his appearance at the world premiere of the Coen brothers' comedy Burn After Reading in Venice.