Reporter’s Notebook: Surprise VP and Hurricane Make for a GOP Twilight Zone

By Chad Pergram ST. PAUL — Hockey is a way of life here in Minnesota. And as any fan knows, there’s an old joke about going to a fight where a hockey game broke out. Perhaps it’s only fitting here in the Twin Cities to go to a political convention and witness a hurricane break out. My FOX News colleague Caroline Shively and I arrived Thursday at the Republican convention in Minnesota armed to report on politics. But we also planned to capture the lighter side of the GOP scene here. We whipped up coverage plans off the beaten path. We aimed to attend the Minnesota State Fair and shear sheep. We considered doing a fun piece at the Mall of America or maybe fling our hats into the air in downtown Minneapolis, Mary Tyler Moore style. We thought we may even encounter his Purple Badness, Twin Cities native Prince. Gustav changed all of that. Now the Republican Party and John McCain are scrambling to suspend “non-essential” portions of this convention. And news ... (link)