Last Thursday morning I wrote a post ('Storm Steals Thunder') suggesting that, for the GOP at least, the silver lining of Gustav's mighty cloud could be that it would give Bush an excuse not to attend the Republican Convention.
Today from Yahoo news:
The looming threat of Hurricane Gustav forced President Bush to cancel his planned valedictory address before the GOP national convention Monday night.
For many delegates gathering here, that's not a bad thing.
Everyone assembled in St. Paul hates the circumstances that forced Bush's absence; concern about Gustav dominated every conversation. But given the deeply conflicted emotions that swirl around the president from within his party, Bush's decision to forgo the occasion saves Republicans an awkward moment.