Ellington

The Associated Press is reporting that the McCain-Palin campaign is coming down to Gustav territory:

Likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are traveling to Mississippi on Sunday to check on people getting prepared for Hurricane Gustav.Their trip comes just as delegates are preparing for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.

Aides say McCain and his wife Cindy will join Palin in traveling to Jackson, Miss., Sunday at the invitation of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour because of concerns about people threatened by the storm, which was heading into the Gulf of Mexico and menacing the same area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina three years ago. The storm could hit the United States as early as Monday afternoon

Previous Comments

ID

133887

Comment

It's unbelievable that Barbour is willing to play politics as Gustav is about to slam either us or our neighbors. Traffic is going to be ferocious here; the last thing we need is a secret-service security detail making matter worse. Why can't they stay the hell out of the way instead of showing up here for photo-ops. That goes for both parties. This isn't the time. And Haley, you should be ashamed.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-08-30T23:55:59-06:00

ID

133888

Comment

I just posted the same thing on the CL site. Totally irresponsible.

Author

Rico

Date

2008-08-31T10:25:42-06:00

ID

133890

Comment

It's incredibly transparent. Does Barbour have nothing better to do today than entertain the GOP hopefuls? Their judgment seems to be lacking all the way around these days. It sounds like they want to get images of Palin looking (vice) presidential -- but coming down here and distracting attention and getting in the way is most certainly not the way to do it. It sends the wrong moral message, not to mention political. Come later, but not today during massage prep and transportation headache times. After this administration's history of mucking up Katrina, the last thing they should want is to look like they're treating it as a naked political moment. Which they are. And if Obama/Biden do the same thing before the storm, same applies to them.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-08-31T10:44:32-06:00

ID

133903

Comment

Here's what Obama said about the Mississippi jaunt earlier today, as reported on a Politico blog: A reporter asked Obama if McCain's visit now is appropriate. His response: "A big storm like this raises bipartisan concerns and I think for John to want to find out what's going on is fine." "The thing that I always am concerned about in the middle of a storm is whether we're drawing resources away from folks on the ground because the Secret Service and various security requirements, sometimes it pulls police, fire and other departments away from concentrating on the job." "I'm assuming that where he went that wasn't an issue. Were going to try to stay clear of the area until things have settled down and then we'll probably try to figure out how we can be as helpful as possible."

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-08-31T14:32:33-06:00