Hurricane prompts Bush to miss convention

Gustav forces a rash of cancellations including appearances by George W Bush and his vice president, Dick Cheney.

John McCain briefs the press outside the Mississippi Emergency Operations Command Center.

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA // Republicans were set to open their national convention here today for four days of party-building and message-making, but a major hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast forced a rash of cancellations including appearances by George W Bush and his vice president, Dick Cheney. Republicans had intended to use the political gathering to rally the party's base, hold up the presumptive nominee, John McCain, as an independent-minded and experienced reformer and step up their criticism of the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama. But as of early yesterday it was unclear whether Mr McCain would even deliver his nomination acceptance speech on Thursday from the convention hall in St Paul or potentially via satellite from one of the areas expected to be hit by Hurricane Gustav. Mr Bush's decision to stay away from the convention could be a harsh reminder of his handling of assistance efforts in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the city of New Orleans and parts of Mississippi. His wife, Laura, however, has confirmed she will attend and speak on the convention's opening day. Mr McCain has been critical of the White House on how it responded to Katrina, saying during a campaign stop in New Orleans in April that the federal response was "disgraceful". "I promise you, never again," he said during a tour of one of the city wards hardest hit by that storm. Mr McCain rearranged his campaign schedule over the weekend to add a trip to Mississippi with his running mate, Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor, so they could monitor storm preparation efforts there. The pair arrived in the Mississipi centre last night. Mr Obama has likewise been critical of the Bush administration's response to Katrina, even saying in last week's speech accepting the Democratic nomination that "we are more compassionate" than a government that "sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes". Friday was the third anniversary of that storm, from which New Orleans still has not fully recovered. Mr Bush was criticised after Katrina struck because he stuck to a schedule that took him from his ranch in Texas on a two-day trip to Arizona and California. On Aug 29, as the levees burst in New Orleans, he visited Mr McCain to share a cake with him to celebrate his 69th birthday. Mr McCain had also hoped to use the convention to burnish the credentials of his newly named vice presidential candidate, Mrs Palin. Mrs Palin, despite facing fierce questions from Democrats over her inexperience and capabilities, was expected to add some glamour to the convention. But with the storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast, Republicans were keen to avoid being shown partying in St Paul while Gulf Coast residents were suffering the effects of the hurricane. They were scrambling to decide how to carry on with the convention but also respond appropriately to the crisis - without politicising it. Mr McCain told Fox News that his party may have to delay or alter at least some convention plans because of the storm. "It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," Mr McCain said. On NBC's Meet The Press, Tim J Pawlenty, the Minnesota governor, said: "The convention has to go forward. The question is what it looks like." Ray Nagin, the New Orleans mayor, ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city starting yesterday, calling Hurricane Gustav the "storm of the century". It was expected to make landfall some time today. Several governors of Gulf Coast states - including Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Rick Perry of Texas - cancelled plans to attend the convention, giving up highly coveted speaking slots. Other politicians from the region announced they would skip the St Paul gathering. There were suggestions that the convention, or some of its sessions, could be turned into a kind of a telethon to raise funds for those affected by the storm, or take on a service aspect to help victims in other ways. Re-arranging any part of the heavily scripted convention, well over a year in the planning, would be incredibly complex logistically. The convention's overall theme is "Country First", designed to play upon Mr McCain's service in the US navy during Vietnam, where he was held for over five years as a prisoner of war. But the motto suddenly took on an unexpected and much more urgent meaning. Rick Davis, Mr McCain's campaign manager, reportedly planned to meet with convention planners yesterday to consider the latest news on the storm's path and how the convention might, or should, be altered. [e-mail]