If New Orleans gets hit now I have little doubt the response will be entirely different from last time.

"Spare no expense getting the good, honest people of New Orleans out of harm's way."

Or something to that effect. Maybe some photo ops of McCain rolling up his sleeves and helping out.

No, actually I don't remember that image. I must have been hiding under a rock, because there's no way the television or print media would have passed on such an interesting photo op.

...Right?

Do you sickos actually sit around Belltown waiting for bad things to happen to people just to leverage your failed Barjaya into office?

Here...look...your man in action:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47446064@N00/2811916066/

And most of all, Sarah (not ready for primetime) Palin gets to study up before her national debut. Think about it, Bush kept quail out of the spot light so that all of his mistakes wouldn't constantly make the news. Of course, this time McCain's hiding would be too obvious, and much harder in this 24 hour news cycle culture we are in.

@3: The Stranger's office is in Belltown? That is news to me. And as far as folks waiting around for bad things to happen to folks, at least they aren't praying to God to inflict harm on those unlike them. You GOPers do a great job of that. And, since I know the bible very well, I know God doesn't bless those GOPers.

@3

Wait just a minute. This is very pertinent seeing that it strongly demonstrates how criminally inept the current administration and GOP governance is. You know the idiot boy prince that McSame has agreed with and voted with repeatly. (95% of the time). So give your posturing a rest. If I was you and I supported such a failed ideology as Neo-Conservativism, I'd be very very quiet. Perhaps hope that no one would notice what a moronic mistake I'd made. You know kind of like when you fart in public but don't want anyone to know that it was you that fouled up the room.

@ 3 - Is that photo supposed to be funny? Dumb.

@7: Yeah, Republicans' version of "humor" is incomprehensible.

Please - the RNC fretting over postponing the campaign because of Gustav has to do with nothing else other than the fear of losing airtime and headlines.

You haven't mentioned the fact that the storm could hit Texas--now THAT would be a sign. It's the poster child for Souther Baptists and far cats. I hope it destroys a few refineries around Houston, gas shoots up a couple bucks and Palin is still touting a pipeline to "end our foreign dependence on oil."

The chances of Gustav going to Texas are really, really slim at this point.

Current projects in Louisiana is that it will hit pretty much on right in the center of the coast. It's bad news for those of us on the east of the storm because we will get deluged with rain. It's bad news on the west, because they will get hit with the worst of the wind.

All of the coastal parishes are under mandatory evacuation as of now, as is Orleans and St. Bernard (the two hardest hit non-coastal parishes from Katrina). Contraflow starts at 4 a.m. tomorrow.

Here in Baton Rouge...we are waiting. The only evacuees we are taking (at least among those who don't have family here to stay with) are special needs patients, like those in nursing homes or rehabilitation hospitals. Everyone else is being sent north at this point.

I can tell you that at the very least, the Republicans are going to have to find a new speaking for Wednesday night. Jinal has committed to not going anywhere.

What's this I hear about Michael Palin being the VP nod by the Red Bushies?

I thought he was a Brit?

Perhaps the Lord works in mysterious, bank-shot ways, and is really hurricane-launchingly upset with Republicans?

The Lord or Divine Energy isn't happy -- that's why the banks that issued subprime mortgages as River Phoenix, Robert Downey Junior and characters in Jay McInerney novels snorted cocaine, are having their hubris moments. Because you cannot serve two masters: you cannot serve both God and Mammon. Vote against your economic and environmental interests, you reap what you sow. How any American household earning under $250K a year comes to think voting Republican is a good idea is beyond me. Maybe their voting preferences have something to do with soil health? Lower education standards?

@3: I strongly agree with 6. You repubs repulse me! Oh, and by the way, there is no god-just a lot of stupid people like you fucking up this country! If there was a god, you would all have been zapped by now-just because of your sheer stupidity!

Civilized and intelligent people, of course, do not pray for natural disasters in order to achieve political gain. That, instead, is the Republicans' job.

We may still have the same idiot in the White House as we did in 2005, but at least this year we have a new Congress. For the sake of the people of Louisiana, let's hope they do better than last time.

leaving "God" out of this, there's nothing positive that can come for the Republicans out of Gustav's effect on the Republican Party Convention -- unless key Democrats say something really stupid -- which is possible.

But assuming the Dems keep shut and try to help out the victims of Gustav, even *if the Republicans cancel the convention* and make themselves out to be saviours, it will only serve the purpose of symbolically undoing the wrong of the neglect of Katrina in 2005. It won't boost McCain in the ratings. In fact, if they try too hard, it might backfire. On the other hand, if they cancel the convention, they'll derail the momentum of attempting to solidify the Republican voting base, or whatever's left of it.

Keep in mind that had Gustav arrived a week earlier, we'd all be bitching about how unfair the storm was to the Democratic Convention momentum.

This is just a case of the Republicans being damn unlucky, and they can only do something to save their currently not-so-great chances at the General Election, *not improve them*. Of course, if they ignore Gustav, they are toast. (if Palin didn't already start the toaster.)

Anyway, I hope everyone in East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, etc. are prepared and will be OK.

I hope that this won't hurt The Gelding's coronation. Old people get cranky when change is thrust upon them.

Then again, McCain doesn't have a mother to proudly state she doesn't let her beautiful mind to get bothered by things like Katrina. According to the polls, 43-47% of the electorate aren't bothered by silly things like flooded cities.

The Gelding's mother is still alive. Judging by her son, however, she was probably just another Republican bitch who gladly sold her kid to the military-industrial complex.

Damn, that YouTube of the preacher asking people to pray for a downpour to drown out Obama has been removed.

Gawd, I was just thinking about how brave and prescient Dan was when he wrote this:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=12237

I get all tingly around the prostate just from re-reading it.