Republican Convention May Be Postponed Due To Tropical Storm Gustav

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Republicans are mulling whether to postpone their convention scheduled for next week in Minnesota because of Tropical Storm Gustav, according to the Washington Post.

Gustav is expected to gain hurricane strength before it reaches Cuba over the weekend. The storm left a wake of devastation in Jamaica on Friday. States of emergency have been declared in Mississippi and Louisiana, where officials are marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The White House is also reportedly considering canceling President George W. Bush's appearance at the convention. Bush is set to speak on the convention's opening day, the same day Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are also scheduled to speak.

The Republican National Convention will be held Sept. 1-4 at the Excel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will keynote the second night, Tuesday, the same day former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge deliver their address.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will speak as the Republican vice presidential candidate next Wednesday. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Silicon Valley CEOs Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman make their speeches the same night. The overall theme of the convention will be "Country First."