Jackson Free Press

John McCain campaign manager Rick Davis is announcing now that the Republican Naitonal Convention will officially begin at 3 p.m. Monday for "business of the day," but no politics. He expects the session to end by 5 or 5:30 p.m. Beyond that, the convention is uncertain. He also said that McCain has asked for politics to be put aside and for Republicans to rally with the affected states, including Louisiana, which Republican leaders (such as Haley Barbour of Mississippi) pitted against the more Republican Mississippi during Katrina three years ago. In a sign that the GOP plans to treat Louisiana very differently this time around, McCain has offered campaign planes to take Louisiana delegates back home and to bring them back as needed, Davis said, and the campaign is calling for delegates to help raise money for the areas affected by Gustav.

Earlier today, just after church services at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Obama told reporters that he planned to mobilize his campaign huge e-mail list of supporters to volunteer or send money to areas hit by Gustav as soon as it was clear exactly what is needed and where. His campaign is coordinating the effect with local authorities, Politic reported earlier today.

"We can activate an e-mail list of a couple million people who want to give back," Obama said to the media pool. "I think we can get tons of volunteers to travel down there if it becomes necessary."

President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have already announced that they will not speak at the convention due to Gustav—a development that Sunday morning talk-show hosts agreed would be beneficial to McCain.