The Republican Party dodged a bullet this week. Hurricane Gustav is less severe than originally thought, allowing the G.O.P. to resume their National Convention today in St. Paul, Minnesota. But President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney—who were both scheduled to speak yesterday—have now said they won’t be attending the Convention at all. Which is really too bad, because they’d fit right in. According to a New York Times poll of R.N.C. delegates, 79% approve of the job Bush is doing (compared with 29% of Americans), most delegates say the economy is doing well, only 7% say it’s more important to provide health care than hold down taxes (as opposed to two-thirds of the general public), and a whopping 80% say the Iraq War was the “right thing.” Bush and Cheney should truly reconsider their decision not to speak. At a time when most Americans have tuned them out, this may be the only crowd to give them some love.