Politico: McCain, Bush Might Skip Convention

Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin of Politico are reporting tonight that President George Bush and Sen. John McCain are unlikely to attend the Republican Convention in St. Paul because of Hurricane Gustav and the devastation it might cause in New Orleans almost three years to the date after Katrina.

Their report opened with this:

President Bush is unlikely to make it to the Republican National Convention and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) may deliver his acceptance speech by satellite because of the historically huge hurricane threatening New Orleans, top officials said.

But officials insisted that the convention, scheduled to open here on Monday, will go on—albeit in a more limited and sedate form — even if Hurricane Gustav stays on its projected path. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday after federal officials said Gustav could grow to a catastrophic Category 5 and hit Monday afternoon somewhere between eastern Texas and western Mississippi.

In other news concerning Hurricane Gustav tonight:

Gustav slammed into Cuba's Isla de Juventud as a Category 4 hurricane today, causing havoc on that Caribbean island, evacuations in New Orleans, and political issues in St. Paul, Minn. Forecasters expected that the storm would grow into s Category 5 hurricane, but weaken somewhat before striking the U.S. coastline near New Orleans sometime Monday. The hurricane was expected to impact oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. At least 81 have died in the storm so far.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin late tonight described Gustav as the "mother of all storms" and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the west bank of New Orleans for 8 a.m. Sunday and the east bank for noon.