With Hurricane Gustav bearing down on the Gulf Coast, Republican officials -- including presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy -- are suggesting that this week's Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., may get scaled back or even suspended.
"It wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster," Sen. McCain told Fox News' Chris Wallace in an interview that will air Sunday morning.
Cindy McCain told ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" in another interview to air Sunday that she and her husband are leaving all options on the table for restructuring the convention.
"We're keeping a very close eye on what this hurricane is doing," she said. "If it looks like it's going to hit, we will, obviously, drastically change our plans.
"This is not a time to celebrate."
However, a Republican convention official told ABC News today that the Republican National Convention Committee is "still moving forward with opening the convention on Monday" as planned.
The official noted that there is official business that is required to happen at the convention, like the actual nomination of John McCain and the platform ratification -- but added contingency plans are being considered regarding delegation travel and the program of speakers. Both Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are scheduled to speak at the convention.
"Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav," 2008 Republican National Convention president and CEO Maria Cino said in a written statement. "We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies.
"We are in communication with the Gulf state governors to make sure the convention is taking all the appropriate steps as the hurricane progresses," the statement added. "The safety of our affected delegations is our first priority and preparing for Gustav comes before anything else."
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