ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain introduced new running mate Sarah Palin to voters in battleground Pennsylvania on Saturday as they wound their way toward St. Paul and a Republican National Convention where the mood was suddenly threatened by Hurricane Gustav.
Gulf state governors could decide to remain at home if the storm threatens to bring serious damage. It could also affect Monday's opening-night address by President Bush. Gustav's projected path suggests it will make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday on Louisiana's central coast.
READ MORE: HELEN KENNEDY BLOGS FROM NEW ORLEANS AS GUSTAV NEARS
Said McCain: "You know it just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster, so we're monitoring it from day to day and I'm saying a few prayers, too."
He commented in an interview taped for "Fox News Sunday."
A top McCain aide, Mark Salter, said the campaign is drawing up contingency plans for what to do about the convention depending on when and where the storm hits. But he cautioned that it didn't mean the gathering would be canceled outright.
"It might change what we do at the convention" but wouldn't necessarily mean calling it off, Salter said.
LIVE: FOLLOW TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV'S PATH
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, in his first direct comment on McCain's unexpected running-mate choice, said he had called her on Friday to wish her luck "but not too much."
McCain and Palin made a morning stop at Tom's Diner in Pittsburgh's trendy Southside neighborhood. The running mates, with spouses in tow, greeted patrons and posed for pictures. Palin's daughters Willow and Piper were also on hand, with Willow carrying Palin's 4-month old son, Trig.
The first-term Alaska governor told reporters she was having fun in her new role. "It's great to see another part of the country," she said. She also said she'd managed to get a little sleep during the night.
"We're used to not getting too much sleep," she said, nodding her head toward the sleeping infant.
Palin also issued her first fundraising appeal, saying in an e-mail, "Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly, and this is certainly the case for me."
A day after his surprise selection of Palin, McCain planned to work part of the day on his convention acceptance speech.
The Democratic team of Obama and Joe Biden also began their day with a diner stop — in the Youngstown, Ohio, suburb of Boardman — as they pressed on with their post-Democratic convention bus tour of Rust Belt battleground states.
Gulf state governors could decide to remain at home if the storm threatens to bring serious damage. It could also affect Monday's opening-night address by President Bush. Gustav's projected path suggests it will make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday on Louisiana's central coast.
READ MORE: HELEN KENNEDY BLOGS FROM NEW ORLEANS AS GUSTAV NEARS
Said McCain: "You know it just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster, so we're monitoring it from day to day and I'm saying a few prayers, too."
He commented in an interview taped for "Fox News Sunday."
A top McCain aide, Mark Salter, said the campaign is drawing up contingency plans for what to do about the convention depending on when and where the storm hits. But he cautioned that it didn't mean the gathering would be canceled outright.
"It might change what we do at the convention" but wouldn't necessarily mean calling it off, Salter said.
LIVE: FOLLOW TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV'S PATH
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, in his first direct comment on McCain's unexpected running-mate choice, said he had called her on Friday to wish her luck "but not too much."
McCain and Palin made a morning stop at Tom's Diner in Pittsburgh's trendy Southside neighborhood. The running mates, with spouses in tow, greeted patrons and posed for pictures. Palin's daughters Willow and Piper were also on hand, with Willow carrying Palin's 4-month old son, Trig.
The first-term Alaska governor told reporters she was having fun in her new role. "It's great to see another part of the country," she said. She also said she'd managed to get a little sleep during the night.
"We're used to not getting too much sleep," she said, nodding her head toward the sleeping infant.
Palin also issued her first fundraising appeal, saying in an e-mail, "Some of life's greatest opportunities come unexpectedly, and this is certainly the case for me."
A day after his surprise selection of Palin, McCain planned to work part of the day on his convention acceptance speech.
The Democratic team of Obama and Joe Biden also began their day with a diner stop — in the Youngstown, Ohio, suburb of Boardman — as they pressed on with their post-Democratic convention bus tour of Rust Belt battleground states.
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