Bush, Cheney not to attend Republican convention due to hurricane

Xinhua
Monday, Sept 1, 2008

U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will not attend the Republican national convention in Minnesota as scheduled for Monday due to concerns about Hurricane Gustav, the White House announced on Sunday.

"The president and vice president decided not to travel to Minnesota due to the hurricane," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said at the news briefing. "We are working on alternate plans."

Dangerous Gustav has already killed more than 80 people in the Caribbean, and if current forecasts hold up, it would make landfall as early as Monday somewhere between the northeast corner of Texas and western Mississippi.

Bush is overseeing the federal response to the storm, getting updates from disaster relief officials and state and local representatives.

In the meantime, the White House is working on possible alternatives that would allow Bush to make a speech at the convention, perhaps by video.

Full article here