Republicans and Gustaf

I think the dog-and-pony show the Republicans are doing around Hurricane Gustaf is mostly a political stunt. Yeah, it lets that bold Maverick McCain and his Christianist, neo-Confederate running mate pose in settings where they resemble responsible leaders.

The truth is a Party that didn't have a brand that had been badly, badly discredited could have their Convention and demonstrate their alleged concern by having every speaker said how very much they care about the people affected by the storm. In itself, having the storm instead of the Convention even for one night would be more likely to remind people how the Republicans have to be embarrassed to show their faces in public when a hurricane hits New Orleans.

Except... I'm guessing the main thing is that this was a great excuse to not have George Bush and Dick Cheney show their faces at the Convention. The rest of it gives them a chance to spin it to McCain's adoring press fans as a sign of his adorable maverickness. But I think the real point was to keep Dear Leader and the Dark Lord away from the Convention.

And, who knows? Ms. Confederate Alaska's reputation at the moment seems to be disintegrating faster than Maureen Dowd's psyche. So maybe they're also trying to stall to see if they have a "Tom Eagleton" situation on their hands.

For more info on the Reps' dog-and-pony act, see Memeorandum.

Tags: mccain, sarah palin