McCain, Palin team up as Hurricane Gustav looms

By Jeff Mason

ST LOUIS (Reuters) - White House hopeful John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin hit the campaign trail as a team on Saturday, seeking to build on the momentum of her surprise addition to the Republican ticket even as Hurricane Gustav threatened to overshadow next week's party convention.

The Arizona senator and Alaska governor will fly to Mississippi on Sunday to view preparations for the hurricane, adding a last-minute trip in an effort to contrast their would-be administration with President George W. Bush's slow response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

The two candidates will visit a storm command center in Jackson, a spokeswoman said.

Forecasts showed Gustav could come ashore as a powerful storm in Louisiana by late Monday or early Tuesday.

McCain told a rally in Washington, Pennsylvania, he was keeping the people in the Gulf Coast in his prayers and said in a taped interview that the convention could be postponed.

"It just 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," he told Fox News.

The rally marked McCain and Palin's second full day in public as a political ticket. People shouted, "Sarah, Sarah!" as the Alaska governor took the stage with McCain, whose vice presidential pick on Friday ignited fundraising and drew Democratic scorn.

McCain and Palin will be nominated officially at the convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bush is scheduled to speak there on Monday evening, but White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration was making contingency plans that could include an address via satellite instead.