With the date fast approaching, the massive fundraising effort now underway to pay for President Bush’s lavish $40 million inaugural festivities has been generating some controversy. (The photo is from the official inaugural website)

The Post reported today that three individuals and 11 corporations have each donated $250,000 to the inauguration committee, and they have raised a total of $18, about half the total amount they plan on needing. The full list of donors is on the inaugural website. Meanwhile, the Post’s Timothy Dwyer reports on the snazzy color-coded tickets which have been released for distribution to members of congress. The story is full of sympathetic quotes from Trent Lott, who has apparently been banished to inaugural activities after being deposed from his leadership post last year for alluding to his affection for segregationist politics.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Post Bernard Ries argues that between the crisis in Iraq and the tsunami in Asia, the lavish inauguration being planned is “wholly inappropriate,” concluding “We should substantially curtail the inaugural program. By doing so, we would demonstrate due regard for the needs and sensibilities of our citizens and our world.”

Finally, Dallas billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban got a flurry of press last week after suggesting on his blog that the inauguration should be cancelled, and the entire cost of the inauguration – $40 million – should be donated for tsunami relief.