ST. PAUL, Minn.
On the fly, Republicans are improvising their national convention script in response to Hurricane Gustav, storming its way toward the Gulf Coast.
At the direction of presumptive GOP presidential candidate John McCain, the first day of a detailed four-day calendar of speeches was set aside. Much of today's convention program will be stripped down to only those elements that are required to convene the gathering, GOP officials said Sunday.
All the political speeches today, including planned remarks from President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake of Norfolk, have been canceled, though officials hope to reschedule some if circumstances permit.
"This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as Americans," McCain said Sunday via satellite from St. Louis.
McCain, a senator from Arizona, urged party faithful to "take off our Republican hats and put on our American hats."
Hurricane Gustav, barreling toward the Gulf Coast, was a Category 3 storm Sunday night.
Officials say it's unclear how the remaining three days of the GOP convention will be affected.
"There's no pattern to how we will react to this other than using all our resources and skills to try and put on the best possible convention that we can," said McCain campaign manager Rick Davis, who noted that judgments about the remaining schedule will be made "day to day."
"I cannot make promises beyond tomorrow of what is going to be in the program," Davis said during a press conference at the Xcel Energy Center.
Before Sunday's announcement, Republican delegates were scheduled to formally select McCain as their presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as their vice presidential nominee Wednesday. Palin was to give her acceptance speech that evening and McCain was to deliver his Thursday night.
Davis said speculation that McCain might skip the convention altogether because of the storm was premature.
However, McCain said in an interview with NBC that it was possible he would make his acceptance speech not from the convention podium but via satellite from the Gulf Coast.
Longtime convention observer Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political science professor, said such sudden changes to a national convention because of external events are virtually unprecedented in American history.
The closest parallel, he said, is in 1944, when the conventions "were much more subdued than usual, with less partying, due to World War II."
Sunday's announcement concluded a weekend of winging it for Republicans that began Friday when McCain confounded pundits and party leaders by naming Palin as his running mate.
After-hours convention receptions were still held here Sunday as scheduled, though the mood appeared reserved.
Davis said the McCain campaign will organize fundraising efforts to assist people affected by the hurricane and may enlist help from the corporate sponsors of convention events.
The campaign also is providing air transportation to delegates from Gulf Coast states who need to return to the area to evacuate family members. McCain's staff also is considering whether it can, or will, suspend some political ads.
"We want to be respectful of the situation that exists in the Gulf," Davis said.
McCain was praised for suspending some convention activities, but some say it could come with a political toll.
If Gustav brings major destruction, the convention could be further curtailed, depriving McCain and the Republican Party of the spotlight that Democrats got last week in Denver, Sabato said.
Virginia's GOP delegates said McCain made the right call.
"It's the natural human reaction, and it's being driven by our candidate, John McCain," said Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a convention delegate who recently returned from helping rebuild a Louisiana home destroyed by Katrina.
Lynchburg delegate Wendell Walker said that empathic response is to be expected from a man who was once a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
"If anybody knows about suffering," he said, "it's certainly John McCain."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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TR
I just saw the Youtube video. It's ugly. If Dobson doesn't fire this guy, he will lose respect from many born agains nationwide.
I truly respected Rick Warren and the way he hugged and chatted with both candidates when he held the Saddleback Forum. That would be the way I think Jesus would do a political campaign. Cheers, MGM
Religious Right’s Prayers Answered: God Sends Storm of Biblical
Religious Right’s Prayers Answered: God Sends Storm of Biblical proportions. They just got the timing wrong.
2 weeks before Senator Obama was scheduled to give his historic acceptance speech at the Dem Convention, the leading evangelical organization Focus on the Family, headed by Dr. James Dobson, posted a video on its website wherein Focus on the Family media director Stuart Shepard walked around in front of Invesco Field, imploring Christians all across America to join with Focus on the Family in praying for a “torrential rain of Biblical proportions” specifically for the purpose of disrupting Senator Obama’s speech on August 28.
Ira, the reason you see a pattern
is that John McCain has altered positions to line himself up with current positions of the administration -- thus the comparison. It is indeed valid.
bill clinton
I agree, I think he could win also. It's too bad he can't run. It's also too bad Hillary isn't the Democratic candidate.
"A Repubican can't make a
"A Repubican can't make a commnet without bring up Bill Clinton. Clinton is NO longer president. Give it a rest and focus on who is in office and who wants to be in office."
I notice none of the people asking to keep Bill's name out of the fray have a problem linking McCain to the current president in an attempt to damage the candidate politically. I am starting to see a pattern.
thank ray nagin
Actually it was the black Democratic mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, who ordered the evacuation. In fact, he's telling residents not to return today and that if they try they'll be turned away:
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2008/09/new_orleans_residents_told_not.html
Ches37
Which post do you stand by, the one here saying that authorities didn't adequately prepare for Gustav because the citizens of New Orleans are mostly poor and minority, or the one on another part of this board in which you chastise the authorities for ordering the evacuation when New Orleans didn't flood? Now I don't know how many degrees you have in meteorology, but that hurricane hit cat 4 at one point and entered New Orleans as a cat 3, just as Katrina did. So the evacuation *had* to happen. The best models predicted Gustav attacking the weakest part of the levee system, the part that was unchallenged by Katrina. I think you believe that meteorology is an exact science with an exact predictive model??? Cheers, MGM
That's funny
Palin with 14 years of politcal experience -- you forgot to mention that all but 20 months of said experience is as mayor of a town of 6,000-9,000. Why don't you tout her foriegn policy experience while you are at it -- Alaska is near Russia and Canada...
Re: Gertz
Please read your post again. As for Clinton, yes we all know he is not running for President, but I bet he could win again if he tried.
conspiracies, gotta love 'am
Yes, indeedy, Bush and the Republicans cranked up the old weather machine and aimed it at New Orleans. I can't beLIEVE there isn't a major investigation into something so obvious. I mean, the vulnerability of the people of New Orleans can't POSSIBLY have anything to do with the fact that they live in an area mostly below sea level on the coast on the Gulf of Mexico.
still hashing
A Repubican can't make a commnet without bring up Bill Clinton. Clinton is NO longer president. Give it a rest and focus on who is in office and who wants to be in office.
What was he supposed to do?
I'm not voting for McCain. He had my vote in 2000, but he's not the same person now. Having said that, I truly find it hard to condemn him for this. The curtailing of convention events was the right thing to do, and I believe Obama would have done the same thing. At least I hope he would have. These big rah rah sessions are a waste of time and reporting resources anyway. I mean was there some suspense over who the republicans or democrats were going to nominate? Now if McCain goes on and tries to make this into a commercial for himself, I reserve the right the change my opinion...
Correction on last post
Meant to say Obamas daughter isnt pregnent. Many Democratic leaders are pointing out the obvious, if you cant run your own family (Paulins daughter knocked up) then you arent right for this country. The question is how long has Paulin known that her daughter was pregnent? Did Mccain know and cover it up? This matter needs to be looked into before the election and not by a Republican Attorney General. This is why we need change, end this good ole boy corruption cover up system!
Rupublicans not prepared again
Water building up, high winds, power lines down, people evacuated. Once again the Republicans were ill prepared, no compassion. hmmmm wonder if its because its a minority area??
Meanwhile McCain, Bush and the bunch are all partying and celebrating at their party. Unbelieveable! Thank Goodness Change is here. Obama's daughter is pregnent. If you can't keep your own family going how can one run the country!
What does Clinto have to do with this?
While he was detestable in his marriage he did at least teach his daughter to NOT GET PREGNANT while still a teenager, unlike that hot mom VP you guys are swooning over, check the headlines the dirty laundry starts anew!!!!!
Hurrican Coincidence?
So we have the GOP Big Party and Yet we have another Huge Hurricane and where is it aimed at? Yes you guessed it, another minority population area only. Are we going to find tens of thousands of bodies again, all minorities and most found in more than suspicious circumstances. This Hurrican coincidence needs to be looked into but unfortunately are Media is too busy being Bias against Obama.
Price
Clinto did bomb an asprin factory. Give him some credit. Oh wait, didnt they make a movie like that? Wag the Dog or something.
Question
What would the Democratic party have done in this case? So in the eyes of the Democrats/Liberals the Republican party can do no right so why debate the issue.
Why are Obama and Biden silent on Hurricane Gustav?
Why haven't they proactively come out to help the thousands of displaced people by offering to relocate them to Illinois and Delaware? Instead, they're remaining quiet hoping they can blame Republicans just like people WRONGLY did after Katrina. The Democrat Gov. Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana and the Democrat Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans were those responsible for the safety of their citizens before, during and after the storm and they totally failed in their duties. Then, along with the Democrat spin machine, they all tried to blame it on somebody else. That somebody was Bush and FEMA (who had their fair share of failures in the follow-up). Obama and Biden, your lack of action and silence tells us more about who you really are than you can imagine. And it isn't good, it's politics as usual, just as we suspected, despite all your rhetoric about change.
Re: mark twine
Sir, please explain this one. Because I think Clinton endured his fair share of storms, attacks and shootings. After all Clinton did get on National TV and I quote " I did not have sexual relations with that woman". I still can't believe people think he did not lie.