Keith just reported on the Washington Post that the Republicans are considering postponing their convention. Their excuse? The Hurricane. Are you serious? This is the same party that 3 years ago basically IGNORED Katrina. I guess you could say they learned their lesson, but honestly. . . this is pathetic. Keith said it best "well, that's some reaction to the Obama speech."
jump. . .
Republican officials said yesterday that they are considering delaying the start of the GOP convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul because of Tropical Storm Gustav, which is on track to hit the Gulf Coast, and possibly New Orleans, as a full-force hurricane early next week.
The threat is serious enough that White House officials are also debating whether President Bush should cancel his scheduled convention appearance on Monday, the first day of the convention, according to administration officials and others familiar with the discussion.
<snark> They must REALLY be worried about this hurricane, Bush is even willing to not speak at the convention if it DOES take place. </snark>
Oh, and here's the best part:
Senior Republicans said images of political celebration in the Twin Cities while thousands of Americans flee a hurricane could be dubious. "Senator McCain has always been sensitive to national crisis," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds, noting that the senator postponed announcing his presidential candidacy in 2000 because of the war in the Balkans. "We are monitoring the situation very closely."
Hmm, so your example is WAR. Maybe because McCain couldn't use KATRINA. What was he doing when Katrina hit?
The "funny" thing about all of this was that Republicans were praying for rain to mess up Obama's speech. Again, in the words of Jon Stewart "Why does God Love Barack Obama?"
Speaking of McCain's "record" on caring about a national crisis, I wrote a diary a week or so ago about his record on Katrina, and if THAT is his idea of putting the "Country First" we're screwed.
UPDATE: msanthrope brings up a good point, check out this First day schedule:
Service
"Love of country, my friends, is another way of saying love of your fellow countryman." --Sen. John McCain
John McCain’s commitment to his fellow Americans, a commitment forged in service to his country, is one of the defining hallmarks of his life. Monday’s events will highlight John McCain’s record of service and sacrifice and reflect his commitment to serving a cause greater than one’s own self-interest.
Speakers will include:
-U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [Ed.Ooops, guess not]
-Vice President Richard B. Cheney
-First Lady Laura Bush
-President George W. Bush
LOL, I'd try to get out of that too! Bush AND Cheney on the first day? Talk about setting a tone for the convention. Sad part is, it would be progressively less interesting after that first day culminating in the ball of excitement that is McCain
UPDATE #2: Today is the 3rd Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the biggest Bush/McCain failure on American soil. Here are some pics to remember. We need to reflect on how much better this would have been handled with a President Obama or even a President Kerry. Now New Orleans is once again in the path of a powerful storm, and Republicans are trying to repair their image, or at least look like they care.
Some really powerful photos at this link
We can never forget what the Bush Administration, with the fullthroated support of John McCain, did to those people. They treated them like criminals, and called them 'refugees' instead of 'evacuees'. They demonized them and have yet to live up to their promise to restore their lives.