As the Republican National Convention approaches, more alarmingly so does Hurricane Gustav. At a time when all eyes were set to watch the developments in McCain, and now Palin's, campaign, all eyes are now focused on the Gulf Coast as what New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is calling "the storm of the century" quickly approaches. McCain and Palin are taking time out of their campaign schedule to visit the hurricane command center in Jackson to take a look at the precautions being taken to ensure the safety of as many Mississippi residents as possible before heading to Missouri for a campaign rally for the RNC.
President Bush has also announced that he will not be attending the convention as scheduled, instead remaining onhand to handle preparations for Hurricane Gustavs immenent arrival, and to handle reactions to the aftermath of the storm.
In the next few days it will be interesting to see how this storm will be handled. The Gulf Coast is not yet healed from Katrina, and another storm could prove detrimental to the rebuilding process. How the candidates handle the effects of the storm on the economy, both through damage management and the precarious oil situation, may play a huge part in their chances at the White House. Furthermore, this is an opportunity for a government which has very little support, to prove itself able to handle Gustav far better than its huge fumble of Katrina.
For now all we can do is wait for the inevitable, and pray for those in Gustav's path.