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"I would like, obviously, to keep in our thoughts and prayers
the people on the Gulf Coast, especially in New Orleans, that are
threatened by this terrible natural disaster of a hurricane,"
McCain said, recalling the devastation New Orleans suffered after
Hurricane Katrina flooded the city three years ago.


      The Arizona senator appeared onstage with Palin at a baseball
park rally under a hot sun outside Pittsburgh. To shouts of
"Sa-rah! Sa-rah!" the Alaska governor thanked the crowd for the
warm welcome.


      "And it is warm! Not something I'm really used to," Palin
said, laughing.


      McCain aides say the campaign has brought in $7 million online
since Palin's selection was announced Friday and that her strong
anti-abortion credentials have helped energize conservatives,
especially conservative women.


      But the Palin rollout threatened to be overshadowed by Gustav,
with the storm likely to change the course of the Republican
convention scheduled to open Monday in St. Paul.


      Gulf state governors could decide to remain at home if the storm
threatens to bring serious damage. It could also affect Monday's
opening-night address by President Bush. Gustav's projected path
suggests it will make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday on
Louisiana's central coast.


      Earlier, in a television interview, McCain suggested convention
plans may well be altered if Gustav continues on its projected
path.


      "You know it just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive
occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented
in the form of a natural disaster, so we're monitoring it from day
to day and I'm saying a few prayers, too."


      He commented in an interview taped for "Fox News Sunday."


      A top McCain aide, Mark Salter, said the campaign is drawing up
contingency plans for what to do about the convention depending on
when and where the storm hits. But he cautioned that it didn't mean
the gathering would be canceled outright.


      "It might change what we do at the convention" but wouldn't
necessarily mean calling it off, Salter said.


      Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, in his first
direct comment on McCain's unexpected running-mate choice, said he
had called her on Friday to wish her luck "but not too much."


      McCain and Palin made a morning stop at Tom's Diner in
Pittsburgh's trendy Southside neighborhood. The running mates, with
spouses in tow, greeted patrons and posed for pictures. Palin's
daughters Willow and Piper were also on hand, with Willow carrying
Palin's 4-month old son, Trig.


      The first-term Alaska governor told reporters she was having fun
in her new role. "It's great to see another part of the country,"
she said. She also said she'd managed to get a little sleep during
the night.


      "We're used to not getting too much sleep," she said, nodding
her head toward the sleeping infant.


      Palin also issued her first fundraising appeal, saying in an
e-mail, "Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly,
and this is certainly the case for me."


      A day after his surprise selection of Palin, McCain planned to
work part of the day on his convention acceptance speech.


      The Democratic team of Obama and Joe Biden also began their day
with a diner stop - in the Youngstown, Ohio, suburb of Boardman -
as they pressed on with their post-Democratic convention bus tour
of Rust Belt battleground states.


      Obama said in a television interview that he had wished Palin
luck "but not too much luck on the campaign trail" in a brief
congratulatory phone call on Friday. He told CBS' "60 Minutes" he
had yet to meet Palin but "she seems to have a compelling life
story. Obviously, she's a fine mother and an up-and-coming public
servant."


      Of his own choice for a ticket-mate, Obama said Biden "can step
in and become president. And I don't think anybody has any doubt
about that."


      He also said he wanted the "counsel and advice of somebody
who's not going to agree with me 100 percent of the time." The
Delaware senator, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, has a reputation for outspokenness. "Joe Biden doesn't
bite his tongue," Obama said in the interview that was taped
Friday night in Pittsburgh.


      As Republicans began to gather in St. Paul, a new Obama ad that
began airing nationally on cable television on Saturday
acknowledged McCain's selection of Palin - but in images and words
that left no doubt that Obama still wants the public to judge
McCain by the policies of Bush.


      "Well, he's made his choice," the ad states, "But for the
rest of us, there's still no change."


      During their diner stop, Obama and Biden and their wives chatted
with patrons and told reporters they hoped the lessons learned from
Hurricane Katrina would help the Gulf Coast this time.


      "Hopefully we've learned from that tragedy," Obama said. Biden
said the region was much better prepared than before Katrina. 

"Just pray to God that those levees hold," he said.


      With memories still vivid of the devastation wrought by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the possibility of serious
damage threatened to cast a pall over the convention. It also could
keep away some prominent governors - including Louisiana's Bobby
Jindal and Mississippi's Haley Barbour. Depending on the path the
storm takes, it could also affect the plans of governors Bob Riley
of Alabama, Rick Perry of Texas and Charlie Crist of Florida.


      Bush, faced with the chance of another devastating hurricane
during his presidency, called Gulf Coast governors on Saturday and
conferred with federal officials to keep a close watch on
developments, said spokesman Scott Stanzel.


      Forecasters on Saturday said Gustav had strengthened to a
Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds near 145 mph. The
National Hurricane Center called it an "extremely dangerous"
storm.


      The president has been widely criticized for the way the
government dealt with Katrina and its aftermath.


      But the convention was still on schedule in St. Paul.


      "There are no plans for any postponement," said Mike Miller,
director of operations. "We plan to start when we're going to
start and end when we're going to end.


      Convention workers put up new barricades and closed off streets
as Republicans made final preparations for the four-day GOP
gathering at the Xcel Energy Center. Workers inside the arena were
putting finishing touches on the stage and checking red telephones
installed in the each delegation's seating area. The delegates'
chairs were roped off with yellow caution tape in an effort to keep
people from sitting on them.


      Set-up crews and guards took a few seconds to take pictures of
themselves in front of the large screen on the podium, which
displayed an image of an American flag waving in the wind. Big
signs ringing the inside of the arena highlight one of McCain's
campaign themes, "Country First."

Gallery

Gustav surges to a Cat. 4 storm, winds of 145 mph

Hurricane Gustav approaches the U.S.

Politics and Government News

With the Republican convention set to
open Monday in St. Paul, John McCain and party officials
are concerned whether the convention should go on as scheduled if
Hurricane Gustav strikes the Gulf Coast as expected.

Republicans worry about convention as Gustav nears Gulf Coast

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