by James Oliphant
DUBLIN, Ohio--Sen. Barack Obama Saturday evening called for residents of the Gulf Coast to "take the evacuation seriously, even if you have ridden out the storm before."
Obama, along with his vice presidential pick Joe Biden, held a brief session with the press following a rally here. They said they had spoken to Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and other federal and state officials about the approaching Hurricane Gustav, now escalating in intensity by the hour.
"Obviously this is a very serious situation," Obama said. "Every indication has the storm bearing down on the Louisiana coast. And it is potentially a very powerful storm."
Biden, whose daughter attended Tulane University in New Orleans, added "Do not ride it out. Ride it out of town."
Obama said that there appeared to be good coordination between the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the states and local governments "at this point."
He said he had no plans to go down there. "Sometimes we can be a distraction."
In response to a reporter's question, Obama declined to give an opinion on whether President George W. Bush should skip the opening of the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Obama also answered a couple of questions about John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, essentially repeating his remarks of a day ago. He called her "dynamic person" with a "great story." But he said that she appeared to share McCain's views on the economy and foreign policy.
And he sidestepped a question about her experience versus his own, instead pointing to the record of Biden, saying "I'm happy with my choice. McCain can talk about his."
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