Gustav Forces 'Substantial' Changes to RNC

clipped from www.cnn.com President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will not attend the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, because of Hurricane Gustav, White House press secretary Dana Perino said Sunday. In addition, "substantial" changes to the Republican National Convention program will be announced Sunday because of the storm, two Republican officials said. One option is delaying the planned Monday opening of the convention, both sources said, though one of the officials said "that has not been decided. We need a few more hours to look at all of the contingencies. But there will be some substantial adjustments." A senior McCain source said Saturday that officials were considering turning the convention into a massive telethon to raise money for the Red Cross and other agencies to help with hurricane aid. They are also hoping to get McCain himself to a storm-affected area as soon as possible. Other changes were being contemplated Saturday afternoon.

Making lemonade from meteorological lemons. Bush and Cheney were both big problems for the RNC this year, being about as popular as athlete's foot. People will be glad to see them elsewhere. The telethon idea reminds me of the blood donor bit from Primary Colors.

Still, Gustav demonstrates how sadly unprepared we still are -- there are still people living in FEMA trailers. Let's hope everything goes well for the Gulf States.