GUSTAV NO LAUGHING MATTER FOR REPUBLICANS

While some South Carolina Democrats are laughing about the impending devastation of Hurricane Gustav, which will likely make landfall near New Orleans early tomorrow morning as a strong category three storm, Republicans have postponed the first day of the Republican National Convention.

“This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as Americans,” presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain told the Associated Press Sunday.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Instead of the prime-time opening night that was to include speeches by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, as well as rhetoric to fire up voters for McCain, the party will spend less than three hours carrying out legal and parliamentary formalities during the afternoon and put the rest of the four-day convention on hold, officials said.

GOP leaders said they are offering to fly home delegates from Texas and the other Gulf states and that a dozen delegates from Louisiana had accepted.

Political fundraising activities at the convention will be morphed into charity events for hurricane relief, they said.

McCain has said he will continue to postpone and cancel events as necessary throughout the remainder of the event schedule to conclude Thursday night with the Arizona Senator accepting his party’s nomination.

(Photo: Reuters)

NO. 9 TIGERS FALL TO NO. 24 ‘BAMA

While the University of South Carolina blanked a weak NC State team Thursday night, the Southeastern Conference continued to show its dominance over the Atlantic Coast Conference Saturday. The ninth-ranked Clemson Tigers lost to the University of Alabama 34-10 in Atlanta.

And it wasn’t just a loss… it was an embarrassment.

Alabama’s defense held Clemson to zero rushing yards to help bat a top-10 opponent for the first time since topping No. 5 Florida in 2005. [...]

The Crimson Tide defense held the Tigers’ heralded “Thunder and Lightning” backfield of James Davis and C.J. Spiller to 20 yards combined.

The Tigers managed only 188 yards, way off their 403-yard average from last season. [...]

The Tide ran the ball easily on Clemson’s defense, which was ninth in the country a season ago. At one point, Alabama had outgained the Tigers 114-1. By the time, tight end Nick Walker had slipped behind three defenders for a 4-yard TD catch, Alabama was ahead 20-3 midway through the second quarter.

Meanwhile, things look great in Columbia. Sure, NC state is an ACC bottom-dweller, but the Gamecocks still notched a huge shutout, not once allowing the Wolfpack into the red zone. On top of that, most of USC’s 34 points came in the second half after quarterback Tommy Beecher was benched for Chris Smelley, leaving open the possibility of a potent offensive coupled with a stingy defense.

(Photo: Getty Images)

CONGRESSMAN, FORMER DNC CHAIR JOKE ABOUT HURRICANE HITTING DURING REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

The conservative blog RedState has posted the above video of former Democratic National Chairman Don Fowler and Congressman John Spratt laughing it up on an airplane ride to Charlotte following the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week.

What was so funny? The fact that Hurricane Gustav is likely to hit southeastern Louisiana (already forcing thousands to flee) as a category three or four storm at the same time Republicans hold their convention in Minnesota, prompting a possible delay.

“The hurricane is going to hit New Orleans about the time they start,” Fowler says while laughing. “The timing is, at least it appears now, it will be there Monday. That just demonstrates God is on our side.”

Fowler fumbles through some papers for a few seconds before smirking at Spratt and saying “everything’s cool.”

RedState noted that Fowler and Spratt also took a few distasteful shots at Republican presidential nominee John McCain new running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska:

[T]hey made fun of [Palin] for several minutes, Fowler calling her “Dan Quayle” on steroids and Spratt creatively describing her as “just terrible.” They both agreed that, “Other than the simple fact that she’s a female,” she has nothing to offer.

To call these things classless is an understatement. It’s absolutely disgusting that the same folks who attacked President Bush for a slow response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago are now chiding the fact that a potentially devastating hurricane will once again be ripping through New Orleans.

Most folks would feel remorse for saying what Fowler and Spratt said. Especially if this storm stays on its projected course and causes significant damage. But that’s just “most folks.”

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UPDATE: SCGOP Chairman Katon Dawson has released the following statement: “The outrageous behavior of two of the Obama campaign’s highest profile supporters in the south is despicable, a cynical politicization of life and death. I call on Barack Obama to immediately denounce Fowler and Spratt and demand sincere apologies from these members of the Democratic leadership.”

MCMASTER, GRAHAM, DAWSON, SANFORD ALL WEIGH IN

The final piece of the presidential puzzle is in place after today’s surprise selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to fill out Republican nominee John McCain’s ticket. And South Carolina Republicans couldn’t be more excited.

Attorney General Henry McMaster, in St. Paul, Minn. to serve as the Chief Sergeant at Arms for next week’s Republican National Convention, said Palin “is a superb choice to serve as Sen. McCain’s running mate.

“She is a tough conservative reformer who has spent her time in office shaking up the status-quo. Gov. Palin is a true leader who will be ready to serve our country on day one,” McMaster said. “Sen. McCain picked a running mate with an excellent record of accomplishment in Gov. Palin.”

One of McCain’s closest friends and confidants also expressed his excitement over the decision. (Keep reading this story >>)

SHOT FROM INSIDE THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

No, I’m not in Minnesota for the Republican National Convention. I received blogger credentials and could have gone, but unfortunately have too much going on here at home.

That said, I have plenty of friends and associates who are in St. Paul, Minn. for next week’s big convention and one of them sent me the above photo from inside the Xcel Energy Center.

As you can see, the setup looks like its coming together and the stage is much more humble than the grandiose spectacle that the Democrats unfurled this week in Denver. Especially that wannabe-Messiah setup at Invesco Field last night where Barack Obama did everything but ascend from the Heavens.

So it’s nice to see this event will be about nominee John McCain more than it is about pomp.

Even so, with Hurricane Gustav threatening to pound the Gulf Coast and President Bush scheduled to speak Monday night, it’s possible that things may not go as planned and the event could be delayed.

There is one hurricane however that won’t stall the convention: Hurricane Sarah. As in McCain’s newly-named running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has taken the nation by storm today.

ALASKA GOVERNOR TAPPED AS GOP PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE

Republican presidential nominee John McCain has chosen 44-year-old Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, a move shocking pretty much everyone in the political world.

To call the move a gamble is an understatement. It could possibly be the greatest move in American political history, or it could be one of the worst.

Palin brings youth to the ticket, and will certainly win a large number of women voters. She’s also beloved by the conservative base with and overwhelming 80 percent approval rating as governor.

For those reasons, I think this risk may end up reaping great dividends for McCain. Especially with a large chunk of former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s 18 million female voter base still weighing their options.

The official announcement will come at noon in Dayton, Ohio.

GAMECOCKS KICK OFF 2008 SEASON TONIGHT AT 8

It’s been 278 days since the last time the University of South Carolina took the field at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tonight, that long wait finally comes to an end as the Gamecocks take on NC State in Columbia.

USC enters the game a two-touchdown favorite, and a win would do a lot to get past the disappointing five-game losing streak that ended the 2007 season.

Granted, the scene probably won’t be as energetic as the video above when USC took the field against Florida ranked 15th, having one of the best seasons in school history. But it will still be a sight to see.

If you can’t make the game, you can tune in on ESPN tonight at 8 p.m. So here’s hoping to a great 2008 season in Columbia. Thank God football is back!

POWERFUL RESPONSE TO OBAMA’S ‘HOUSE’ ATTACK

“This is the story of a John McCain home you might not know about.”

That’s the opening line of a new 30-second advertisement released today by the South Carolina Republican Party promoting the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

The ad is a response to a spot released last week by Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign attacking McCain for a comment he made about not knowing how many houses his wife owned.

The SCGOP ad highlights McCain’s “other home” — the infamous Hanoi Hilton POW camp where the Arizona senator was locked up and tortured during the Vietnam war.

“During a combat mission over Vietnam, John McCain was shot down and severely injured,” the ad says. “John McCain’s new home for the next five-and-a-half-years would be an enemy prison cell.

“This is where John McCain was starved, beaten, tortured, and maimed for life.”

The spot closes with a very strong and direct shot at Obama. “So the next time Barack Obama talks about one of John McCain’s homes, remember this one.”

This ad is a great reminder of how trivial elections can get. But the sacrifice of men like McCain is beyond heroic. And if you watch that ad a few times, I think it will be difficult to forget.

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UPDATE: I’m told the ad will air in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. television market next week during the Republican National Convention.