United States presidential nominee Barack Obama tapped Hollywood for big cash, glitz and glamor - then yesterday e-mailed a new appeal to small donors to his campaign.

The prize? A car magnet for Democrats who send in at least US$15 by Monday.

His fundraising gala on Tuesday in Los Angeles marked a push by Obama to shore up private funding for his race against Republican John McCain, going back on a promise to use public money for his presidential race.

By forgoing public funds, Obama would be able to raise and spend as much as he wants right up to the November election. McCain has labeled the Obama decision a McCain-damaging reversal.

"This will be the first test of our grass roots fundraising program since we declared our independence from the broken campaign financing system," Obama's mass e-mail said.

Opting out of public financing leaves the Illinois senator, who has already shattered fundraising records by raising US$287 million by the end of May, free to raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars for the general election.

"We've got our work cut out for us," the e-mail appeal said, claiming that McCain and the Republican Party had tallied US$45 million during May.

"Make a donation of US$15 or more by the end of the month and show your support with a 'Yes We Can' car magnet that's not available anywhere else," the e-mail said, referring to Obama's campaign slogan.

McCain was also in California on Tuesday, capitalizing on his bit of star-power at an energy round-table with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former actor. He called for energy conservation and green technology.

The push by a candidate representing a party not known for its support for environmental issues reflected McCain's efforts to break from the Bush administration's legacy. He acknowledged voter concerns about soaring energy prices and built on earlier arguments that the US must break free from dependence on foreign oil through alternative fuel technology.

McCain promised, if elected, he would require that all government vehicles use green technology.

The Austrian-born Schwarzenegger is a McCain backer, but opposes a major element of the candidate's energy strategy - ending a decades-old federal ban on offshore drilling. McCain has said he would leave the decision to the states if the moratorium is lifted.

During his California visit, McCain acknowledged offshore drilling would do little to immediately lower record gasoline prices, but he argued that the specter of additional supply would have a "psychological impact" that could undercut speculation and driven up the cost to US$1 per liter.

Editor: Yan