Republican National Telethon

As Democrats rejoice over the prospects of a major hurricane hitting and destroying parts of America, John McCain and the Republicans are making plans to convert their National Convention into a telethon for providing aid and support to victims:

John McCain and the GOP are considering scrapping political speeches and turning their Minnesota convention into a "service program" to help victims of Hurricane Gustav, The Post has learned.

Sources told The Post that McCain himself might visit the Gulf Coast during the week of the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday. McCain is not scheduled to speak until Thursday.

The contingency plan - a worst-case scenario if the storm devastates Gulf Coast areas - would turn Republicans into Red Cross-type volunteers who would help collect donations, food and goods for storm victims.

McCain's campaign motto is "Country First," and he said helping people during an emergency will take precedence over accepting the nomination.

I think that's a brilliant ideat. Nothing would demonstrate "Country First" more than abandoning the usual convention falderal and devoting that time to helping their fellow Americans. Just think what they could accomplish in those four days with all the networks sitting right there ready to broadcast. I think viewers would see pretty quickly which is the serious party and which is the celebrity party.