McCain, who seemed in high spirits, seemed to spend extra time offering counsel to the two youngsters, whose underage pregnancy has eclipsed the fictional Juno McGuff and Paulie Bleeker in the popular imagination. But, this being real life and not reel life, their story was not accompanied by a kick-ass soundtrack featuring Kimya Dawson and Belle & Sebastian.

I photocopied one story, from December 1996, about Palin’s run-in with Wasilla’s director of libraries, Mary Ellen Emmons. The article is in line with what several commenters mentioned here a few days ago. Emmons says that in October and December, 1996, the year Palin took office, the new mayor asked her if she would tolerate censorship of library books.

According to the article, Palin’s response to the accusation was to say that the discussions were “in the context of a professional question being asked in regards to library policy.”

The next month Palin left a letter on Emmons desk asking her to resign. It said, ”I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment ….”

The Anchorage Daily News reported at the time, as did the Frontiersman, that the conflict was over whether to restructure the local library and museum operations. After some discussions, Palin seems to have decided Emmons was willing to toe the line. She kept her job as library director.

ABC reported that while New Orleans braced for Hurricane Gustav to make landfall, Republican politicians and delegates in the Twin Cities for the GOP national convention attended a party Saturday night, thrown by the National Rifle Assn., Lockheed Martin and the American Trucking Assn. The band: a Minneapolis act called “Hookers and Blow.”

Here’s ABC’s report:

(Hat Tip: The Raw Story)

The Republicans also canceled their prime-time programming for the convention’s opening night, and most daytime activities. It’s unclear how else Gustav may effect the Republican convention.

Sen. John McCain told Fox News, according to the Politico, “It just wouldn’t be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster. So we’re monitoring it from day to day — and I’m saying a few prayers, too.”

New Orleans is nearly deserted. Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city, and about 95 percent of the population left. Gustav has now been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, bringing some amount of relief to Louisiana residents, especially since weather analysts were reporting over the weekend that the hurricane could be worse than Katrina.

New Orleans residents are still coping with the aftermath of Katrina, three years later. The thought of another disaster washing away the work that went into rebuilding there seems just too much to bear.