Romneys practice speeches at school auditorium

[August 27, 2012]  WOLFEBORO, N.H. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife, Ann, spent Sunday evening at a local high school auditorium rehearsing their speeches to the Republican National Convention.

The Romney campaign said the presumptive nominee expected to continue preparing for his nomination acceptance speech on Monday. Romney was scheduled to speak Thursday night at the convention while his wife was to address the delegates on Tuesday night.

Both were using a teleprompter as part of their preparations. An electronic visual text isn't unusual for major speeches. Republicans have turned the mention of a teleprompter into a laugh line and a dig at President Barack Obama because of his routine use of the device.

Romney briefly addressed reporters near his New Hampshire lakeside vacation home as aides and party officials scrambled to reorganize the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., because of weather concerns. He had been silent on the developing weather conditions, aside from a Twitter message Saturday night.

When asked about the storm, Romney said: "I hope everybody's fine there. I'm concerned about the people that are going to be affected by it." He also predicted "a great convention."

The Gulf Coast was bracing for the possibility that Tropical Storm Isaac could become a dangerous hurricane. The storm has already pushed back the start of the convention by one day.

"We're 100 percent full steam ahead on Tuesday," said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, expressing confidence the one-day delay would be the extent of the cancellations

Federal emergency officials on Sunday warned residents in Florida and the Gulf states to monitor storm condition and follow the directions of local officials. The storm raked the Florida Keys to the south of the convention city en route to a projected landfall along the Gulf Coast.

[Associated Press; By STEVE PEOPLES]

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