Story Published:
Aug 31, 2008 at 6:22 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Sep 1, 2008 at 11:51 AM CDT
O'FALLON, Mo. -- John McCain and Sarah Palin took the stage shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, where thousands have gathered at a minor league baseball stadium. This event was meant to be a rally towards the Republican National Convention in Minnesota but, with the threat of Hurricane Gustav, the campaign says this week's convention will be much different.
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were scheduled to attend the convention on Monday; they will no longer do so.
The McCain camp says the rest of the convention week will be a national call to action, not a celebration of their political party. They say it could become a telethon that raises money for the relief effort. Details are still fluid but, back in O'Fallon, the partisan politics had not come to a halt.
Brenda Talent, wife of former U.S. senator Jim Talent, told the crowd, "One other thing that I really like about Sen. McCain is that he has the courage and the emotional maturity, unlike his opponent, to choose a woman as his running mate."
Former gvovernors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee also were at the rally.
The McCain campaign says there was more interest in this rally once the choice of vice president was made for Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
