On Hurricane Gustav, the RNC, Don FOULer and Michael Moore

Rambling thoughts on this nervous night in America.

It's 1 a.m. Eastern Time as I write this and Hurricane Gustav is just about to make landfall in the Gulf Coast. It's hard to believe that less than three weeks ago, I was soaking up the sun and enjoying cocktails on the beach in Islamorada, Fla., tracking down the ghost of George H.W. Bush without giving the wind the slightest worry. Now the island is hunkered down, rainsoaked and windswept from one storm already, yet knowing full well that they may wind up being the lucky ones when the sirens finally fall silent.

That's because less than 70 miles to the west, Hurricane Gustav is about ready to raise hell after it lands on the closest beach it can find in the Gulf of Mexico. This hurricane is like a rude party crasher with a head full of steam and arms spinning with liquid courage.

The leaders of the Republican National Convention are no longer in a partying mood. It's natural to feel bitter when an univited guest ruins your plans, but, to their credit, Republicans aren't bitter. They're just concerned, and doing everything they can to help. Rather than making the convention a fund-raising effort for GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his newly named VP candidate, Sarah Palin, the Republicans are making it a fund-raising effort for the potential victims of Hurricane Gustav.

The storm is said to have killed three people stateside already and, at the time, it was still miles out to sea. The deaths, which might very well have occured anyway, happened when critical care patients were moved from a New Orleans hospital during the evacuation effort. The mood in Minneapolis is subdued and watchful.

Meanwhile the Democrats -- at least some of them -- are gloating, as this YouTube clip shows.

"That just demonstrates God's on our side," former DNC chairman Don Fowler said, with a smug smile and a snicker. "Everything's cool."

The remark from this Democratic leader was not received well, and, in fact, is less demonstrative of God's will than it is of a new air of uncertainty and sweaty desperation coming from high-level Democrats. Clearly irked and frightened by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's entry into national politics, they're now resorting to reading things into the tea leaves that aren't really there, or as this case shows, just simply making crap up.

Even worse than Fowler's snickering was Michael Moore's outright guffaws along with -- you guessed it -- Keith Olberman on MSNBC.

"I was just thinking this Gustav is proof there is a God in heaven," Moore said with a raspy laugh. "To have it planned at the same time. That it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for Day One of the Republican Convention in the Twin Cities at the top of the Missisippi River."

This clip and the unrelenting attacks on McCain and Palin are why I've stopped watching that hideously biased channel. When you watch it, take a close look at Olberman's face as he talks to Moore, and listen to the lilt in his voice as he ends the interview by wishing Moore "a great weekend."

On a brighter note ... if I can locate one here ... ah, yes, here it is:

Many of you have been congratulating me on making the right call about Gov. Palin. While it's true, I did come out early and ask McCain to consider her, I never thought it would really happen (Truth is, maybe I should start trusting my hyper-sensitive powers of prognostication a little bit more. After all, I made a pretty interesting prediction back in January. Two out of my three calls came true, and the one that didn't couldn't have been closer. I would have had a great career as a gambler, I think, if I'd have decided to go that way.). The real credit goes out to the Internet, which provided gobs of information on who she was and what she was all about. So, I guess I'll pass the buck on the virtual back-slap. Nice job, Internet!

OK. Gustav just made landfall, and and I see weathermen (and women!) on CNN wearing raincoats and getting blown around near the ocean. Better go see what's going on.

Bright notes don't last long on dark nights filled with hurricanes, so God bless those who can't get out of the way.