US:REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL hopeful John McCain has urged his party "to take our Republican hats off and put our American hats on" and put most of his party's national convention on hold as Hurricane Gustav approached the US Gulf coast, writes DENIS STAUNTONin St Paul.
The Arizona senator, who will accept the presidential nomination on Thursday night, said only those portions of the programme that were absolutely necessary to fulfil requirements would be held.
The convention is expected to convene at about 3pm today and last for about two and a half hours.
Plans for the rest of the week will be finalised later, as the situation with Gustav develops.
Speaking via satellite from St Louis after he and his vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin received a briefing on hurricane preparations in Jackson, Mississippi, Mr McCain said: "This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as Americans."
President George W Bush and vice-president Dick Cheney have scrapped plans to address the convention and Mr McCain's campaign chartered a jet to fly delegates back to hurricane-threatened states along the Gulf Coast.
The last minute moves reflected an intense desire by Mr McCain and Republicans to avoid the political damage that Mr Bush suffered from his widely-criticised response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
After last week's Democratic convention in Denver, when Barack Obama's closing speech had more television viewers than the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Republicans had hoped to seize the spotlight in St Paul this week.
Mr McCain's surprise selection of 44-year-old Alaska governor Mrs Palin as his running mate has energised the party's conservatives and triggered a surge in campaign funds. Republicans are, however, acutely sensitive to the political damage Hurricane Gustav could wreak on their party by reminding voters of the apparent incompetence and indifference of the federal response to Katrina.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that the party's plans had to take second place to supporting the relief effort. Mr McCain and Mrs Palin yesterday visited the emergency management centre in Mississippi, a state that could be hit by the approaching hurricane, and received briefings on relief plans.
In a Fox News interview yesterday, Mr McCain defended Mrs Palin against critics who say she lacks experience, especially on foreign policy, and would not be ready to take his place as president.
"She's had 12 years of elected office experience, including travelling to Kuwait, including being involved in these issues. I'm so proud that she has displayed that kind of judgment and she has the experience and judgment as an executive," he said.
Mr McCain's wife, Cindy, also defended Mrs Palin, telling ABC News that Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her a special understanding of foreign policy issues.
"The experience that she comes from is with what she's done in the government. And also, remember: Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia. So, it's not as if she doesn't understand what's at stake here," Mrs McCain said. - (Additional reporting: PA)