Republican Convention Cuts Schedule

Republican John McCain says Hurricane Gustav will determine whether he accepts his party’s U.S. presidential nomination in person or from the Gulf Coast.

McCain ordered much of the Republican National Convention curtailed this week as officials switched from celebration to preparation for the storm, The New York Times reported Monday.

Convention delegates were to gather Monday for two hours to handle only essential details so McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, can be officially nominated, Roll Call said.

McCain aides said the rest of the four-day convention would be determined on a daily basis, including whether McCain would appear at the convention in person, The Times reported. In Mississippi Sunday, McCain pledged to turn the convention from “a party event to a call to the nation for action.”

Both McCain and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama have vowed to organize their supporters to help with relief efforts along the Gulf Coast once the hurricane has passed, the Times reported.