The Republican Party kicked off a pared-down version (AP) of its national convention on Monday in Minnesota. President Bush, who had been scheduled to speak to the convention, instead traveled to Texas to be briefed on Hurricane Gustav’s management.
In Ohio, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) packed supplies for hurricane victims (NYT). Both the Obama and McCain campaigns urged supporters to donate to relief efforts.

A CFR.org Issue Tracker details the candidates’ positions on homeland security policy.

CFR will cohost a foreign policy symposium all week in Minneapolis. To view a live webcast of the program, click here.

EU: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on Monday praised the European Union’s announcement following an emergency summit that Georgia’s “territorial integrity must be respected,” and that Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia should be rejected.