Hurricane Mutes GOP Convention

Republicans opened their scaled-down national convention Monday with calls for aid and compassion as Hurricane Gustav smashed into the Gulf Coast.

But before the gavel had come down to begin the proceedings, they were met with another jarring distraction, as the party's presumptive vice presidential nominee announced her 17-year-old daughter is five months' pregnant.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband said that their daughter plans to raise the baby and will marry the father.

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned," Palin said in a statement issued by the campaign of Sen. John McCain, who will accept the Republican nomination for president this week.

"We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support," the statement said.

Coming on the heels of Hurricane Gustav, which led Republicans to cancel most of their opening-day events, Palin's revelation continued to reshape what Republicans had hoped would be a boisterous send-off for the McCain-Palin ticket. It also left some Republicans privately voicing concern that the campaign may have missed other potentially damaging background information about McCain's little-known vice presidential pick.

Palin arrived in St. Paul on Monday but had no public schedule as she prepared for her speech to the convention.

But McCain aides pushed back hard against any suggestion they mishandled the selection process. "Nothing that has come out did not come out in the vet - she was fully vetted," said a senior campaign adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Bush, Cheney Speeches Canceled

Republicans canceled speeches by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and held an abbreviated opening session with appearances by McCain's wife, Cindy, and first lady Laura Bush, both of whom urged delegates to contribute to disaster relief.

"Events in the Gulf Coast region have changed the focus of our attention, and our first priority now today is to ensure the safety and the well-being of those living in the Gulf Coast region," Laura Bush said after receiving a warm ovation from delegates.

The convention program for the rest of the week remained unsettled. Organizers said decisions about how to go forward are contingent on conditions in Louisiana and neighboring states.

With indications Gustav's damage may not be as bad as feared, McCain advisers hoped he would be at the Xcel Energy Center to accept his nomination Thursday night. Gauging Gustav's progress, they planned no announcement until this morning.

Meanwhile, the White House held out the possibility the president might address the convention by satellite video sometime this week.

McCain and Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, shifted their approaches on the campaign trail as Gustav approached the coast. McCain shelved several rallies intended to introduce Palin and to serve as a prelude to her Wednesday debut in St. Paul. His only public appearance Monday was at a volunteer organization in Waterville, Ohio, where he helped pack supplies for the Gulf Coast.

During an appearance in Detroit, Obama set aside his standard stump speech and urged supporters to "give what you can" to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts.

Obama: 'Families Are Off-Limits'

Obama was drawn into the discussion of Bristol Palin's pregnancy, telling reporters to "back off" the family.

"I have said before and I will repeat again: I think people's families are off-limits," he said. "People's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Governor Palin's performance as a governor or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories."

He continued: "You know, my mother had me when she was 18. How family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn't be the topic of our politics. I hope that anybody who's supported me understands that's off-limits."

McCain campaign officials said the Palin family's statement was prompted in part by Internet rumors suggesting that Bristol Palin was the mother of Sarah Palin's 4-month-old son, Trig.

They denounced the rumors and took the offensive Monday when news of Bristol Palin's pregnancy surfaced.

"It's a private family matter. Life happens in families," McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt said. "If people try to politicize this, the American people will be appalled by it."

But some Republicans remained nervous about the party's ticket, worrying about the potential for more surprises in the days ahead.

"Palin's daughter's pregnancy is probably much ado about nothing - I think," one GOP strategist said. "If there's more, it will raise questions about the whole vetting process because she's such an unknown."

Christian Right Rallies Behind Palin

But McCain supporters are encouraged that leaders of the Christian right are rallying behind Palin and her family.

"Fortunately, Bristol is following her mother and father's example of choosing life in the midst of a difficult situation," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said.

"We are committed to praying for Bristol and her husband-to-be and the entire Palin family as they walk through a very private matter in the eyes of the public," Perkins added.