Opinion: On tonight’s really big shew: Lieberman, F. Thompson, G. W. Bush

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ST. PAUL -- Republican officials will resume their regular convention programming tonight, combining elements of Monday’s canceled program with today’s program, as Hurricane Gustav blew away into a Category 0 storm.

President Bush, who was originally slated to speak in person Monday night, will now address the convention via video from the White House this evening.

Other scheduled speakers this evening are former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who will discuss presumptive Republican nominee John McCain’s biography (and a good friend).

And Independent Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who’s expected to be the highlight of this evening’s program, reintroducing the presumptive Republican nominee as one of the world’s greatest mavericks.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was supposed to be the entire convention’s keynote speaker tonight, won’t be. He’s expected to show up on the schedule later in the week.

“It’s going to be a lot about John McCain, who is John McCain,” Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan said.

McCain campaign official Rick Davis said they made the decision to move forward after consulting with FEMA and studying statements by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

Officials said they were still rearranging the program and that it was now unclear which night Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would speak.

For now, Davis said, she’s penciled in for Wednesday night. He wouldn’t speculate on the speech’s contents, which Palin has reportedly been working on since arriving in St. Paul late Sunday night with Cindy McCain.

-- Maeve Reston