Gustav May Delay GOP Convention

Republicans are considering delaying the start of next week's convention in Minneapolis if deadly Hurricane Gustav hits big, reports the Washington Post. The storm is on course to nail the Gulf Coast with full force early next week, and party officials don’t want America thinking about President Bush’s bungled Katrina response when McCain takes center stage. The White House may also yank Bush from the convention line-up. He's now scheduled for Monday's opening.

Party strategists also worry that a Gulf Coast storm would draw negative attention to the offshore oil rigs that McCain has touted as a fix for rising gas costs. But a former Bush staffer said Gustav could actually be a “two-fer” boon to McCain, giving Bush a chance to redeem the mistakes of Katrina and removing the unpopular prez from the convention roster. (More Republican National Convention stories.)