http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080831/ts_alt_afp/usvoteST LOUIS, Missouri (AFP) - Republican White House hopeful John McCain and running-mate Sarah Palin will Sunday ditch their pre-convention plans and visit people in Mississippi bracing for deadly Hurricane Gustav.
The visit comes as the fearsome category four storm's approach overshadowed the buildup to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, and stirred memories of the botched response to Hurricane Katrina exactly three years ago.
"Yes it's confirmed we are going to Mississippi in the morning" on Sunday, campaign spokeswoman Kimmie Lipscomb told AFP, after McCain flew into midwestern Missouri for an overnight stop.
Both McCain and Democratic nominee Barack Obama were carefully laying the groundwork to respond to Gustav's certain political fallout, as the storm loomed as test of their leadership skills.
McCain asked supporters at a rally in Washington, Pennsylvania on Saturday to keep their thoughts and prayers for the people on the Gulf Coast, where the fearsome storm is expected to make landfall on Monday.......
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