Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback says he has plenty of time to catch up in the cash race.

Rival Mitt Romney topped the list of GOP presidential hopefuls by hauling in $23 million in the last quarter. Brownback raised nearly $2 million. "We had the same number of contributors as the person (who) raised the most in this (Republican) race," Brownback says. "This is just starting, too. We’re in the first part of April."

This past January — just after a trip to Iraq — Brownback said he was "not optimistic" about the troop surge. Today, during an interview in Des Moines, the Kansas senator said he’s disappointed President Bush seems unwilling to change course in Iraq. But Brownback is not siding with Democrats who’re seeking a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. "We’re so bent on crossing swords with each other we’re not talking to each other," Brownback said. "We each have a piece of the puzzle to solve it."

Brownback was in Des Moines this morning attending the annual Iowa Prayer Breakfast. Brownback is campaigning in southeast Iowa this afternoon. He’ll attend a Good Friday Prayer Breakfast in Cedar Rapids tomorrow.

Radio Iowa