RNC: se suspenden actividades del primer día

Por petición expresa del Senador John McCain, en solidaridad con los estados que esperan el huracán Gustav, se suspenden las actividades del primer día de la Convención Nacional Republicana. Sólo se procederá a lo básico, la elección de oficiales y la aprobación de las reglas. Se evitará la parte festiva y el turno de grandes oradores. Lo que ocurrirá el martes, no lo decidirán hasta entonces. Republicans curb first day convention activities

(...) Saying it's time "to take off our Republican hats," John McCain said this afternoon that the GOP was suspending most of its major activities for the first day of the convention tomorrow.

With Hurricane Gustav expected to make landfall on Monday, Republicans will scrap the speeches from party luminaries planned for tomorrow night from and only hold a two-hour afternoon business session as required to begin the convention.

"We'll do away with our party politics and act as Americans," said McCain, speaking via video uplink from St. Louis to scores of reporters gathered in St. Paul.

Party and campaign officials said they would re-examine conditions tomorrow to decide on plans for the rest of the week.

As for Monday, the convention's opening day that was originally to include speeches from President Bush and Vice President Cheney, RNC chairman Mike Duncan said they would only adopt the rules necessary to go forward, elect convention officers and adopt a party platform. (...)