Some very important friends are parachuting into Boston next week to help Senator John Kerry raise funds in his bid for the White House — the most prominent of whom is New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Clinton’s appearance at the Sheraton Boston — along with California senator Barbara Boxer, Washington senator Maria Cantwell, Maryland senator Barbara Mikulski, and Michigan senator Debbie Stabenow — is causing a stir among political insiders: might Clinton be lining up behind a potential Kerry 2004 presidential run?

Not so fast, says one Democratic observer. Clinton is helping most of the Democratic presidential hopefuls — especially Senate majority leader Tom Daschle.

"Hillary Clinton is very smart. By helping her colleagues, she is building on those relationships," says Democratic political consultant Henry Sheinkopf. "She’s a proven fundraiser, and it can only help her and New York. Politics is a game of relationships."

After collecting so many chits, perhaps Clinton will decide to call them in for a run in her own right, in 2004 or beyond.

The Hillary factor aside, it’s no accident that the headliners at Kerry’s event are all women. The move reprises a maneuver from 1996, when the Massachusetts senator successfully rebuffed a challenge from then-governor William Weld. Then, as now, Kerry scored points with a fundraiser emphasizing his support of women’s issues, and the widespread support among women that he in turn enjoys.