Where were they when....

Today, John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, swooped down on Jackson, MS, to check on the evacuation of people from the Gulf Coast ahead of Hurricane Gustav. As Will Thomas notes, this visit was of no use to the evacuees or those who are helping them; indeed, it put a load on local and state officials who had to make provision for the candidates, their staffs, Secret Service Details, press, etc., etc.

Of course, three years after Katrina, Republicans can be forgiven for a certain paranoia about Gustav, especially on what was supposed to be the first day of their national convention. (Almost all events have been canceled, in view of the hurricane, although it will hit nowhere near the Twin Cities.)

So, where was the Senator from Arizona on the day that Katrina made landfall? He was in Phoenix, with a friend:


The official White House caption for this photo reads, "President George W. Bush joins Arizona Senator John McCain for a small celebration of McCain's 69th birthday Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, after the President's arrival at Luke Air Force Base, near Phoenix."