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)