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Archive for Monday, September 1, 2008

GOP curtails convention; New Orleans waits uneasily

Associated Press

September 1, 2008

St. Paul, Minn. — John McCain tore up the script for his Republican National Convention on Sunday, casting himself as above politics as Hurricane Gustav churned toward New Orleans. "We will act as Americans," not partisans, he declared.

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney scrapped plans to address the convention tonight, and McCain's aides chartered a jet to fly delegates back to their hurricane-threatened Gulf Coast states. Campaign manager Rick Davis said today's program was being cut from seven hours to two-and-a-half.

Officials said that as part of the convention's opening night, Laura Bush and McCain's wife, Cindy, would speak from the podium and describe ways to help victims of the storm bearing down on a region that was devastated three years ago by Hurricane Katrina.

On the eve of his convention, McCain also seemed determined to avoid the errors made by Bush three years ago. "I have every expectation that we will not see the mistakes of Katrina repeated," he said.

The formal business of the convention includes nominating McCain for president and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate on Wednesday. McCain's acceptance speech, set for Thursday night, is among the most critical events of the campaign for his chances of winning the election.

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 region.

McCain said he was looking forward to being at the convention but did not say when he would arrive. He spoke from St. Louis after he and Palin received a briefing on hurricane preparations on a quick visit to Jackson, Miss. Palin and Cindy McCain later flew together to St. Paul, accompanied by former candidates Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.