McCain, Palin stump; GOP warily eyes Gustav

Touting Biden's experience
The Democratic team of Obama and Joe Biden also began their day with a diner stop — in the Youngstown, Ohio, suburb of Boardman — as they pressed on with their post-Democratic convention bus tour of Rust Belt battleground states.

Obama said in a television interview that he had wished Palin luck "but not too much luck on the campaign trail" in a brief congratulatory phone call on Friday. He told CBS' "60 Minutes" he had yet to meet Palin but "she seems to have a compelling life story. Obviously, she's a fine mother and an up-and-coming public servant."

Of his own choice for a ticket-mate, Obama said Biden "can step in and become president. And I don't think anybody has any doubt about that."

He also said he wanted the "counsel and advice of somebody who's not going to agree with me 100 percent of the time." The Delaware senator, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has a reputation for outspokenness. "Joe Biden doesn't bite his tongue," Obama said in the interview that was taped Friday night in Pittsburgh.

As Republicans began to gather in St. Paul, a new Obama ad that began airing nationally on cable television on Saturday acknowledged McCain's selection of Palin — but in images and words that left no doubt that Obama still wants the public to judge McCain by the policies of Bush.

"Well, he's made his choice," the ad states, "But for the rest of us, there's still no change."

'Hopefully we've learned'
During their diner stop, Obama and Biden and their wives chatted with patrons and told reporters they hoped the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina would help the Gulf Coast this time.

"Hopefully we've learned from that tragedy," Obama said. Biden said the region was much better prepared than before Katrina. "Just pray to God that those levees hold," he said.

With memories still vivid of the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the possibility of serious damage threatened to cast a pall over the convention. It also could keep away some prominent governors — including Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Mississippi's Haley Barbour. Depending on the path the storm takes, it could also affect the plans of governors Bob Riley of Alabama, Rick Perry of Texas and Charlie Crist of Florida.

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Bush, faced with the chance of another devastating hurricane during his presidency, called Gulf Coast governors on Saturday and conferred with federal officials to keep a close watch on developments, said spokesman Scott Stanzel.

Forecasters on Saturday said Gustav had strengthened to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds near 145 mph. The National Hurricane Center called it an "extremely dangerous" storm.

The president has been widely criticized for the way the government dealt with Katrina and its aftermath.

But the convention was still on schedule in St. Paul.

"There are no plans for any postponement," said Mike Miller, director of operations. "We plan to start when we're going to start and end when we're going to end.

Convention workers put up new barricades and closed off streets as Republicans made final preparations for the four-day GOP gathering at the Xcel Energy Center. Workers inside the arena were putting finishing touches on the stage and checking red telephones installed in the each delegation's seating area. The delegates' chairs were roped off with yellow caution tape in an effort to keep people from sitting on them.

Set-up crews and guards took a few seconds to take pictures of themselves in front of the large screen on the podium, which displayed an image of an American flag waving in the wind. Big signs ringing the inside of the arena highlight one of McCain's campaign themes, "Country First."

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