AFP - Republican officials said Saturday there were no plans to postpone the party's convention here next week due to Hurricane Gustav, which threatened to strike New Orleans by Tuesday.

AFP - Republican White House hopeful John McCain Saturday warned Hurricane Gustav could force the suspension of his nominating convention, as the rival campaigns dueled in battleground states.

AP - Likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are traveling to Mississippi on Sunday to check on people getting prepared for Hurricane Gustav.

AP - John McCain will try to reclaim his reformist image at a Republican National Convention tightly scripted to put some distance between the conservative presidential candidate and his party's unpopular standard-bearer, President Bush.

AP - McCain, Palin spend first full day of campaigning in Pa.; GOP leaders keep wary eye on Gustav ... As Gustav approaches Gulf Coast, Obama expresses hope that lessons leaned from Katrina ... Magazine: Obama told Petraeus some US forces in Iraq should be shifted to Afghanistan fight

AP - John McCain voiced concern for Gulf Coast residents fleeing the path of Hurricane Gustav on Saturday and made plans to visit Mississippi even as he reintroduced running mate Sarah Palin to a raucous crowd in a key battleground state.

AP - Democrat Barack Obama's latest ad carefully avoids direct criticism of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin while seeking to make the case that John McCain's campaign offers no change from President Bush.

AP - Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a little-known conservative newcomer who relishes fighting the establishment.