Republicans gathered in Tampa hastily gaveled their national convention into session on Monday as Tropical Storm Isaac threatened to grab the spotlight from what was supposed to be Mitt Romney’s coming-out party. Party leaders have tried to brush aside the effect that a one-day delay on the start of the convention may have had—a view that was summed up by former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich when he said in an interview late on Monday that party members would “leave here united and with enormous energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness to defeat Barack Obama.”
