Gustav Could Postpone GOP Convention

It what should have been a good day for John McCain and his staff, now party leaders have to deal with a storm brewing. And it's not about an ethics investigation involving McCain's vice presidential pick.

There are reports that the Republican Party may postpone its convention in St. Paul next week because of the possibility of Hurricane Gustav hitting New Orleans almost three years to the date after Hurricane Katrina devastated that city. Nobody in the GOP wants reminders of Katrina and FEMA's response.

Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times writes:

Party officials are discussing the possibility of postponing convention proceedings if the threat to New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas grows. If there is serious damage in the Gulf Coast, images of Republicans partying in Minneapolis-St. Paul could be an embarrassing reminder of the Bush administration's delayed response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Forecasters predicted that the storm could come ashore Tuesday morning as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds in the 113- to 130-mph range. That would be in the middle of the Republican convention, which runs from Monday through Thursday.

There is perhaps no issue over which McCain has been more critical of the Bush administration than its handling of the 2005 storm, which the Arizona Republican has called "disgraceful."

In New Orleans, authorities and citizens are bracing themselves and preparing the best they can:



And it that wasn't enough, Hanna is forming in the Atlantic and heading west toward Bermunda. Here is its forecast track.