Hurricane Gustav fades in Gulf and Twin Cities

ST. PAUL — After the first day of the Republican convention was cut short because of Hurricane Gustav, convention officials seemed eager to get on with the show but wary of formalizing the rest of the week’s plans for fear of weakened levees and other storms on the horizon.

While most of the Gulf Coast seemed to be spared the sorts of horrors the region witnessed during Hurricane Katrina, two other storms — Hannah and Ike — were building strength Monday, casting further uncertainty on the week’s activities. Officials were optimistic that the worst of Gustav had passed, and New Orleans appeared to have avoided a repeat of three years ago, when Republicans were blamed for government inaction as the city was flooded and thousands died.

{mosads}Already this week, headline speakers President Bush and Vice President Cheney canceled their speeches. The White House indicated Monday that Bush could still attend the convention later in the week, but White House press secretary Dana Perino said Monday evening that they are not planning for any travel on Tuesday. While some Republicans were privately pleased that Bush’s Monday speech was scrapped, the McCain campaign could have a politically delicate decision to make about a Bush appearance. The initial schedule would have put 72 hours between Bush’s and McCain’s speeches. If Bush travels to the Twin Cities, he could speak the day before McCain.

Members of Congress and congressional candidates scheduled to speak at the convention have been told their remarks are on hold indefinitely as convention planners and volunteers attempt to construct some semblance of a schedule as they wait to find out the toll of Hurricane Gustav.

The Republican governors of the Gulf Coast — Alabama’s Bob Riley, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour, Florida’s Charlie Crist and Texas’s Rick Perry — appeared via video at the convention Monday afternoon. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who was believed to be on Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) shortlist of running mates, has been viewed favorably for the way he has acted throughout the storm.

“The coordination on this storm is a lot better than on — than during Katrina,” Bush said Monday. “A lot of it had to do with the governors.”

The press line at the Republican convention was a recording on Monday informing callers that the convention was meeting for a “business-only” session and that the rest of the week’s schedule had yet to be determined. Press conferences that were initially meant to highlight the various themes of the convention were also postponed until the final two days of the convention.

One attendee with a knowledge of the discussions said that they expected events to be back on track by Wednesday.

There were signs Monday that planners were trying to achieve just that. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who was initially scheduled to speak on Monday, said she was rescheduled to speak on Tuesday night.

“We are delighted to be included,” she said.

Bachmann said McCain made the right decision in putting the convention on hold, adding, “It shows the level of his judgment.”

Other convention speakers may not have Bachmann’s luck. GOP sources say that it is likely some speeches scheduled for Monday will not be rescheduled.

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) agreed, telling Fox News on Monday that the years of convention planning paled in comparison to helping the Gulf Coast residents through the aftermath of the storm.

“What we’re proving this year is you just show up, and you decide every day what’s the best thing to do that day,” he said. “We may have put convention planning back a hundred years to what it used to be like by just saying, ‘Look, we’re going to do the right thing.’ ”

He added, “We’re going to have the people speaking that need to speak about the things that need to be said, and we’re going to move on with the business of electing a president and a vice president.”

An aide to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who is scheduled to speak Tuesday night, said that he had been given various conflicting reports about whether the lawmaker’s speech would go on as planned.

Off the convention floor, different groups have also canceled events. The Democratic National Committee called off its scheduled event on Tuesday, citing the need to focus on the repercussions of the storm.