McCain May Postpone Convention

UPDATE: The Convention's Day 1 activities will be sharply curtailed.

The Republicans are really spooked that Hurricane Gustav will give the Dems an opportunity to demogogue Hurricane Katrina all over again, and they may postpone the GOP convention:

John McCain said the Republican National Convention may be postponed as federal officials said Hurricane Gustav was gathering to a devastating Category 5 as it headed toward star-crossed New Orleans.

“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,” McCain told Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday,” in an interview taped for tomorrow. “So we're monitoring it from day to day and I'm saying a few prayers, too.”

McCain also said: “I'm afraid, Chris, that we may have to look at that situation and we'll try to monitor it. I've been talking to Govs. Jindal, Barbour, Riley. Chris, I've been talking to all of them.”

Officials at the convention, which is to open Monday in St. Paul, Minn., tell Politico they are figuring out how to handle the formal business of nominating McCain even if some delegations are not able to attend.

The officials also are preparing program contingencies in case such speakers as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have to cancel.

Maria Cino, the convention’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement to Politico: "Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies.

“We are in communication with the Gulf state governors to make sure the convention is taking all the appropriate steps as the hurricane progresses. The safety of our affected delegations is our first priority and preparing for Gustav comes before anything else."

I think there's a way to handle this without postponing the convention (as I outlined here), but politics being what it is, Gustav may force the GOP's hand - especially if it comes ashore as a Cat 4 or 5 in a heavily populated area. However, each towering thunderhead comes with a silver lining, and here's the silver lining in this situation. Until McCain formerly accepts his parties nomination he's free to spend as much money as he wants on the campaign, and with the Palin announcement, the funds have been pouring in. Because he chose to take public campaign funding, once he accepts the nomination he's limited to the $84 million or so the government will give him while Obama can spend whatever he can raise.

Delaying the acceptance a bit longer will give McCain more time without spending limits, and less time restricted by the Fed funds. It could work to his advantage in a number of different ways.