Gustav and the GOP convention

Advisers say McCain will go to Mississippi today at the invitation of the governor to be briefed on plans for Gustav, NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports. These advisers say McCain has talked to Secretary Chertoff and governors Barbour, Riley, Jindal, and Crist. They also say amid contingency planning for the convention, "the gavel will come down" and "business will be done" but "we are not having a party." Per NBC/NJ’s Mike Memoli, Obama yesterday called the threat posed by Hurricane Gustav “a very serious situation,” and Joe Biden warned that the storm could be worse than Katrina, as the two running mates warned residents of the Gulf Coast to heed all warnings. “Even if you’ve ridden out this storm before, even if you think that it may pass over, even if you think that you can wait until last minute, this is going to be, potentially, very, very serious,” Obama told reporters after a campaign event in Dublin, OH. “For your own safety and your family’s safety, people have to follow the instructions of the ... (link)