Marco Rubio Bridges Bizarre Eastwood With Rousing Romney

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had the tough task Thursday of bringing the mood of the crowd from confusion to inspiration, as the only divide between a bizarre speech by film director Clint Eastwood and Mitt Romney's first speech as the official Republican presidential nominee.

He also had to humanize Romney, one of the main efforts of the evening. By the looks of the audience, he did it.

Rubio focused on family, both his own and Romney's, and the American dream of immigrating to the United States and becoming successful here, or helping your children to do so.

"They struggled through poverty and the great depression," he said of Romney's father's family. "And yet he rose to be an admired businessman, and public servant. And in November, his son, Mitt Romney, will be elected president of the United States."

Rubio is often used by Republicans as a surrogate to the Latino community, and addressed Latino voters in a video earlier in the evening about why they should vote for GOP candidates. The message in that video was, in part, that the party's economic plans would better serve Latinos, who have higher unemployment than the nation's average, but mostly prefer Democrats.

He didn't address Latinos specifically in his speech, although he talked about his grandfather's emigration from Cuba and threw in a line in Spanish. His focus, though, was largely on the economy, and specifically aimed at people who are struggling.

"Yes, we live in a troubled time," Rubio said. "But the story of those who came before us reminds us that America has always been about new beginnings. And Mitt Romney is running for president because he knows that if we are willing to do for our children what our parents did for us, life in America can be better than it has ever been."

Some of the biggest crowd reactions came when he wasn't talking about Romney. One of the best-received portions was an anecdote about his father, who worked for years at a bar.

"He stood behind a bar in the back of the room all those years, so one day I could stand behind a podium in the front of a room," Rubio said, bringing in a huge applause.

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, left and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney waves to delegates after his speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledges delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan and his wife Janna salute delegates following Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. Behind is Mitt Romney and his wife Ann. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Mitt Romney

  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney waves to delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Mitt Romney

  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney acknowledges delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Mitt Romney

  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Mitt Romney

  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hugs a supporter as he walks to the stage during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney makes his way through delegates before speaking at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, cheers as Olympians are introduced during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, right, and his wife Janna applaud during Florida Senator Marco Rubio's speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan, right, along with Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, left, applaud during Florida Senator Marco Rubio's speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Marco Rubio

  Florida Senator Marco Rubio addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Florida Senator Marco Rubio addresses delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Marco Rubio

  Florida Senator Marco Rubio addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Clint Eastwood

  Actor Clint Eastwood addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Actor Clint Eastwood speaks to an empty chair while addressed delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Tom Stemberg, founder and former CEO of Staples speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Bob White

  Chairman of the Romney-Ryan Campaign Bob White addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Pam Finlayson

  Pam Finlayson addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Frantz Placide and Sean Duffy, center, listen to Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, left, as he speaks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Jeb Bush

  Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush steps onstage to speak to delegates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Oscar Poole

  Oscar Poole from Ellijay, Ga., wears his hat at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Newt Gingrich, Callista Gingrich

  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista walk onto the stage to speak to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista speak to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Herman Cain recites the Pledge of Allegiance during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Connie Mack

  Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Senator Scott Brown, R-Mass., answers questions during a press conference in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

• Stagehands make final adjustments to the expanded stage where Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will accept his party's nomination later tonight a the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Protesters yell as Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• A delegate holds up a mask of Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Jeb Bush

  FILE In this Aug. 27, 2012 file photo, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks at the convention floor from the podium during a microphone check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

• Stagehands make final adjustments to the expanded stage where Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will accept his party's nomination later tonight a the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Paul Ryan

  Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan waves toward the delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Paul Ryan

  Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Sam Ryan yawns in his mother's arms while Janna listen to her husband Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan's speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Right is Charlie Ryan. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, applauds with Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan's wife during Paul Ryan's speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Condoleezza Rice

  Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Susana Martinez

  New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Condoleezza Rice

  Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Mike Huckabee

  Former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Mike Huckabee

  Former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Mike Huckabee

  Former governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan's wife Janna, left, sits next to his mother Betty Ryan Douglas during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Tim Pawlenty

  Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Rob Portman

  Ohio Senator Rob Portman addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Rob Portman

  Ohio Senator Rob Portman addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• John Thune

  South Dakota Senator John Thune gestures to the delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Rob Portman

  Ohio Senator Rob Portman waves to the delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Ohio Senator Rob Portman waves to delegates before his speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Arizona Senator John McCain, left, shakes hands with former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• John Thune

  South Dakota Senator John Thune waves to the delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• John McCain

  Arizona Senator John McCain gestures as he walks up to the podium during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• John McCain

  Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., waves after addressing the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• John McCain

  Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., smiles before addressing the during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Washington Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Rand Paul

  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Kentucky Senator Rand Paul addresses delegates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Mitch McConnell

  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky addresses to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Mitch McConnell

  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky waves to delegates after addressing the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• A video honoring of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is displayed during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Senator John McCain, waits for the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Ishwar Singh

  Ishwar Singh delivers the invocation during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Ayla Brown

  Ayla Brown signs the National Anthem during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Paul Ryan, Janna Ryan

  Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and wife Janna appear on stage at the Wisconsin delegation's Beers and Brats event, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

• Paul Ryan

  Republican vice presidential nominee, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin checks out the TelePrompTer during this podium sound check during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• John McCain

  Sen. John McCain clowns around on the podium during sound check the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is interviewed on the convention floor before the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Paul Ryan

  Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. gestures during a walk through ahead of his delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Paul Ryan, Sam Ryan, Liza Ryan, Charlie Ryan

  CAPTION CORRECTION, CORRECTS ORDER OF CHILDREN'S NAMES TO SAM, LIZA AND CHARLIE, NOT CHARLIE, LIZA AND SAM - Republican vice presidential candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., smiles at his children, from left, Sam, Liza, and Charlie, during a walk through ahead of his delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

• John McCain

  A reporter, left, tries to interview Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as he walks the floor of the Republican National Convention, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

• Catherine Akin, of Jasper, Fla., a demonstrators participate in a protest rally in the rain, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. Protestors gathered in Tampa to march in demonstration against the Republican National Convention. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

• A worker walks down the isle to collect trash on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Marco Rubio

  Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., picks up the gavel after a sound check on the main stage at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice looks over the main stage during a sound check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Tim Pawlenty

  Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty looks over the main stage during a sound check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Police officers watch demonstrators marching through the streets of Tampa, Fla., to protest the Republican National Convention on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. Here's what tens of thousands of visitors in Tampa during the Republican National Convention will see this week: police. Lots of them. They're seemingly on every street corner. Officers riding bicycles, horses and golf carts that look like baby Humvees. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

• Police officers patrol, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. Here's what tens of thousands of visitors in Tampa during the Republican National Convention will see this week: police. Lots of them. They're seemingly on every street corner. Officers riding bicycles, horses and golf carts that look like baby Humvees. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

• Condoleezza Rice

  Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sits down for a television interview on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Chris Christie

  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Ann Romney

  Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, reacts as he walks up to the podium to address the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Mitt Romney, Ann Romney

  U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hugs his wife Ann after she addressed the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Mitt Romney, Ann Romney

  Ann Romney is kissed by her husband Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applwhite)

• Ann Romney

  Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Ann Romney

  Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney arrives on stage to deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

• Ted Cruz

  Senate candidate Ted Cruz, of Texas, addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Ted Cruz

  Senate candidate Ted Cruz of Texas addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Nikki Haley

  South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Nikki Haley

  South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Artur Davis

  Former Representative Artur Davis addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Artur Davis

  Former Representative Artur Davis addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Rick Santorum

  Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Protester

  A protester yells out while Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Protester

  A protester is led away while Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum speaks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum introduces his wife Karen during his speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Scott Walker

  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker waves to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Scott Walker

  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Brian Sandoval

  Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Texas Governor Rick Perry poses with delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Phil Archuletta

  Small business owner Phil Archuletta addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Kyle Welch, Lillian Welch

  Kyle Welch from Cambridge, Mass., cheer as his 1-year-old daughter Lillian sleeps during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Bob McDonnell

  Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell addresses delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Bev Gray

  Small business owner Bev Gray addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin waves to candidates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Cathy McMorris Rodgers

  Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Kelly Ayotte

  Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., waves to the delegates before addressing the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich arrives at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Small business owner Jack Gilchrist speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• John Kasich

  Ohio Governor John Kasich addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Mia Love

  Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love waves to candidates following her speech during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Mia Love

  Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Actress Janine Turner speaks to delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Jan Brewer

  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer arrives on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Scott Walker

  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker reacts as he casts his states votes for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Delegates gather in the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Scott Walker

  Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker talks to delegates on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Scott Romney

  Scott Romney, right, brother of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, reacts at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• John Kasich

  Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Michele Bachmann

  Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, second right, listens as Minnesota delegates casts their vote during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Delegates from Kentucky casts their votes for presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Scott Romney, Rick Snyder.

  Michigan delegate Scott Romney, center with a note pad, and the rest of Michigan delegates react at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. At right is Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, taps a gavel during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Fredi Simpson

  Washington state delegate Fredi Simpson cheer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• John Sununu

  Committee on Rules Chairman John Sununu addresses delegates during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Don Genhart

  California delegate Don Genhart fashions his cowboy boots at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Sol Grosskopf

  Wisconsin delegate Sol Grosskopf from Shawano wearing cheesehead talks on the phone during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• A delegate from Texas holds up an anti-Obama sign during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Bryan Daugherty

  With Ron Paul's autograph on his hat, Maine delegate Bryan Daugherty from Bangor looks at his smart phone at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Mick Cornett

  Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett waves to the Oklahoma delegation during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Bill Haslam

  Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, center, talks to delegates on the floor at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• North Carolina delegates cheer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Bob Fish

  Delegate Bob Fish from Parkersburg, W. Va., pledges at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• A volunteer places pamphlets on chairs in Montana's delegation seating area before the start of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Tim Babcock, Tom Hogan

  Former Montana Gov. Tim Babcock, left, Tom Hogan (FL) lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) <em><strong>CORRECTION</strong>: A former version of this caption misstated Hogan's title.</em>

• Texas delegates recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Reice Preibus

  Chairman of the Rebpulican National Convention Reice Preibus gavels the second session of the Republican National Convention to order in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Bruce Thompson

  Bruce Thompson of San Diego, Calif. fashions his hat at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Diane Sawyer, Ann Romney

  Diane Sawyer, left, interviews Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, on the floor before the session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  Former republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista appear on stage during a sound check at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 28, 2012 during the Republican National Convention. The 2012 Republican National Convention is expected to host 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories. AFP PHOTO Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP/GettyImages)

• 2012 Republican National Convention: Day 2

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 28: U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) stands on stage during a soundcheck with stage manager Howard Kolins during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Today is the first full session of the RNC after the start was delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

• 2012 Republican National Convention: Day 2

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 28: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will give the keynote address and his wife Mary Pat Christie stand on stage for a soundcheck during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 28, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Today is the first full session of the RNC after the start was delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

• Jeb Bush

  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks at the convention floor from the podium during a microphone check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• In the dimmed lights, state delagate signs are seen on the convention floor after an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012.(AP Photo/David Goldman)

• 2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Musician Beau Davidson performs during a sound check during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The RNC is scheduled to convene today, but will hold its first full session tomorrow after being delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

• Alex Casetta, a delegate from Denver, Colo., wears a Pro-Life button on his hat following the opening session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Reince Priebus

  Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus speaks to delegates during an abbreviated session the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Jeremy Blosser

  Jeremy Blosser from Ft. Worth, Texas stands next a mirrored wall on the convention floor after an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Delegates from Texas pray during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• Delegates watch a video presentation during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

• Delegates from the state of Ohio listen to Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus during the abbreviated opening session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Delegates watch a video presentation during an abbreviated session of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

• John Boehner, Diane Sawyer

  House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, talks to Diane Sawyer on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• John Boehner

  House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, talks to reporters on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  American political consultant Karl Rove (L) and Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah (R) share a word at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, during final preparations for the opening of the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2012. Due to tropical storm Isaac, the convention will come to order later today, Monday August 27th, and then immediately recess until the afternoon on Tuesday, August 28th. AFP PHOTO Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

• 2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: A sign for the Republican National Convention hangs outside Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Republican National Convention is scheduled to convene briefly August 27, and delayed its first full session until August 28 because of Tropical Storm Isaac. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

• Mitch McConnell

  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. bchecks out the stage at the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• 2012 Republican National Convention Delayed By Tropical Storm Isaac

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Stage workers continue to make last-minute adjustments to the main stage at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the abbreviated first day of the Republican National Convention August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Organizers decided to delay the start of the convention as the projected path of Tropical Storm Isaac' put the storm blowing past Tampa and into the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

• A Coast Guard patrol boat cruises past the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The start of the Republican National Convention, being held at the facility, has been delayed because of the approaching tropical storm Isaac. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Judy Griffin, of Georgia, takes photos while wearing a hat with Republican Party buttons during the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee's welcoming event for the delegates of the Republican National Convention on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/The Tampa Tribune, Chris Urso, Pool)

• Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaign buttons are displayed ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• Herman Cain

  Supporters cheer as former Republican presidential candidate, businessman Herman Cain, speaks during a Unity Rally Sunday Aug. 26, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  William Temple (C), in colonial dress, and other Tea Party supporters cheer at the Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church ahead of the Republican National Convention, in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  Supporters of US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul react during his speech at a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  A supporter of the US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul waves his portrait during a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  Supporters wave banners and a portret of US Republican presidential contender Ron Paul during a rally at the Sun Dome of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012. Thousands of Ron Paul supporters gathered in Sun Dome to show support for their candidate. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• Tampa Prepares For Republican National Convention And Potential Hurricane

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 26: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley waves while standing at the podium with Stage manager Howard Kolins (R) ahead of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 26, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The RNC is scheduled to convene on August 27 and will hold its first session on August 28 as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens disruptions due to its proximity to the Florida peninsula. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

• G.E. Smith

  Guitarist G.E. Smith rehearses at the Republican National Convention inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

• Scott Kiss

  Worker Patrick Gayle of Kissimmee, Fla. wipes the mirror-sided camera stands on the floor of the Republican National Convention in the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

• Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Jason Chaffetz

  Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, stands on the stage during preparation for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Jason Chaffetz

  Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, gets a look at the stage during preparation for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Anthony Batri, from Largo, Fla., unfurls banners as preparations are made ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The political convention begins on Monday, Aug. 27th. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Workers prepare the stage for the Republican National Convention inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. The political convention begins on Monday, Aug. 27th. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Riggers load nets full of balloons for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Riggers load nets full of balloons for the Republican National Convention festivities inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

• Tampa Prepares For Republican National Convention And Potential Hurricane

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 23: Video displays that will be used during the Republican National Convention are tested at the Tampa Bay Times Forum on August 23, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Republican convention is scheduled to begin in less than a week although Tropical Storm Isaac is threatening possible disruptions due to its proximity to the Florida peninsula. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

• Members of the media conduct interviews on the floor after the unveiling of the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)

• Reince Priebus, Willan Harris

  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, left, and convention CEO William Harris unveil the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)

• Reince Priebus, Willan Harris

  Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, left, and convention CEO William Harris unveil the stage and podium for the 2012 Republican National Convention, Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Scott Iskowitz)

• GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus unveils the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)

• GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: News media report on the unveiling of the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)

• GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: A worker walks past the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)

• GOP Previews Site Of Republican National Convention

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 20: A woman walks in front of the stage inside of the Tampa Bay Times Forum in preparation for the Republican National Convention on August 20, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. Thousands will decend on Tampa for the four day convention which takes place August 27-30. (Photo by Tim Boyles/Getty Images)

• This photo taken Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 shows downtown Tampa, Fla. The Tampa Bay Times Forum, right, is the location of the Republican National Convention, which will be held Aug. 27-30. Traffic caused by road closures and protests are a concern of downtown workers and residents. (AP Photo/Tamara Lush)

• Protesters Demonstrate During The Republican National Convention

  TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 27: Code Pink protesters goad people waiting in line to enter Ybor City's Cuban Club which is reported to be hosting a party attended by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and others as the Republican National Convention is set to begin on August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The Code Pink demostrators were accusing the people attending the party of being rich as well as supporters of presumptive Republican presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

• Texas delegates gather in the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  Anti-Mitt Romney protesters march through the streets in Tampa, Florida, on August 26, 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. The 2012 Republican National Convention was scheduled to be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012, but was cut short by one day due to incoming severe weather and possible hurricane conditions. AFP PHOTO Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

Mitt Romney Republican Convention Speech: FULL TEXT

Mr. Chairman, delegates. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.

I do so with humility, deeply moved by the trust you have placed in me. It is a great honor. It is an even greater responsibility.

Tonight I am asking you to join me to walk together to a better future. By my side, I have chosen a man with a big heart from a small town. He represents the best of America, a man who will always make us proud ' my friend and America's next Vice President, Paul Ryan.

In the days ahead, you will get to know Paul and Janna better. But last night America got to see what I saw in Paul Ryan ' a strong and caring leader who is down to earth and confident in the challenge this moment demands.

I love the way he lights up around his kids and how he's not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves his mom.

But Paul, I still like the playlist on my iPod better than yours.

Four years ago, I know that many Americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president. That president was not the choice of our party but Americans always come together after elections. We are a good and generous people who are united by so much more than what divides us.

When that hard fought election was over, when the yard signs came down and the television commercials finally came off the air, Americans were eager to go back to work, to live our lives the way Americans always have ' optimistic and positive and confident in the future.

That very optimism is uniquely American.

It is what brought us to America. We are a nation of immigrants. We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place called America could be better.

They came not just in pursuit of the riches of this world but for the richness of this life.

Freedom.

Freedom of religion.

Freedom to speak their mind.

Freedom to build a life.

And yes, freedom to build a business. With their own hands.

This is the essence of the American experience.

We Americans have always felt a special kinship with the future.

When every new wave of immigrants looked up and saw the Statue of Liberty, or knelt down and kissed the shores of freedom just ninety miles from Castro's tyranny, these new Americans surely had many questions. But none doubted that here in America they could build a better life, that in America their children would be more blessed than they.

But today, four years from the excitement of the last election, for the first time, the majority of Americans now doubt that our children will have a better future.

It is not what we were promised.

Every family in America wanted this to be a time when they could get ahead a little more, put aside a little more for college, do more for their elderly mom who's living alone now or give a little more to their church or charity.

Every small business wanted these to be their best years ever, when they could hire more, do more for those who had stuck with them through the hard times, open a new store or sponsor that Little League team.

Every new college graduate thought they'd have a good job by now, a place of their own, and that they could start paying back some of their loans and build for the future.

This is when our nation was supposed to start paying down the national debt and rolling back those massive deficits.

This was the hope and change America voted for.

It's not just what we wanted. It's not just what we expected.

It's what Americans deserved.

You deserved it because during these years, you worked harder than ever before. You deserved it because when it cost more to fill up your car, you cut out movie nights and put in longer hours. Or when you lost that job that paid $22.50 an hour with benefits, you took two jobs at 9 bucks an hour and fewer benefits. You did it because your family depended on you. You did it because you're an American and you don't quit. You did it because it was what you had to do.

But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching the gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't right.

But what could you do? Except work harder, do with less, try to stay optimistic. Hug your kids a little longer; maybe spend a little more time praying that tomorrow would be a better day.

I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division. This isn't something we have to accept. Now is the moment when we CAN do something. With your help we will do something.

Now is the moment when we can stand up and say, 'I'm an American. I make my destiny. And we deserve better! My children deserve better! My family deserves better. My country deserves better!'

So here we stand. Americans have a choice. A decision.

To make that choice, you need to know more about me and about where I will lead our country.

I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. It was a time when Americans were returning from war and eager to work. To be an American was to assume that all things were possible. When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn't whether we'd get there, it was only when we'd get there.

The soles of Neil Armstrong's boots on the moon made permanent impressions on OUR souls and in our national psyche. Ann and I watched those steps together on her parent's sofa. Like all Americans we went to bed that night knowing we lived in the greatest country in the history of the world.

God bless Neil Armstrong.

Tonight that American flag is still there on the moon. And I don't doubt for a second that Neil Armstrong's spirit is still with us: that unique blend of optimism, humility and the utter confidence that when the world needs someone to do the really big stuff, you need an American.

That's how I was brought up.

My dad had been born in Mexico and his family had to leave during the Mexican revolution. I grew up with stories of his family being fed by the US Government as war refugees. My dad never made it through college and apprenticed as a lath and plaster carpenter. And he had big dreams. He convinced my mom, a beautiful young actress, to give up Hollywood to marry him. He moved to Detroit, led a great automobile company and became Governor of the Great State of Michigan.

We were Mormons and growing up in Michigan; that might have seemed unusual or out of place but I really don't remember it that way. My friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we went to.

My mom and dad gave their kids the greatest gift of all ' the gift of unconditional love. They cared deeply about who we would BE, and much less about what we would DO.

Unconditional love is a gift that Ann and I have tried to pass on to our sons and now to our grandchildren. All the laws and legislation in the world will never heal this world like the loving hearts and arms of mothers and fathers. If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family ' and God's love -- this world would be a far more gentle and better place.

Mom and Dad were married 64 years. And if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist ' because every day Dad gave Mom a rose, which he put on her bedside table. That's how she found out what happened on the day my father died ' she went looking for him because that morning, there was no rose.

My mom and dad were true partners, a life lesson that shaped me by everyday example. When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, 'Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?'

I wish she could have been here at the convention and heard leaders like Governor Mary Fallin, Governor Nikki Haley, Governor Susana Martinez, Senator Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

As Governor of Massachusetts, I chose a woman Lt. Governor, a woman chief of staff, half of my cabinet and senior officials were women, and in business, I mentored and supported great women leaders who went on to run great companies.

I grew up in Detroit in love with cars and wanted to be a car guy, like my dad. But by the time I was out of school, I realized that I had to go out on my own, that if I stayed around Michigan in the same business, I'd never really know if I was getting a break because of my dad. I wanted to go someplace new and prove myself.

Those weren't the easiest of days ' too many long hours and weekends working, five young sons who seemed to have this need to re-enact a different world war every night. But if you ask Ann and I what we'd give, to break up just one more fight between the boys, or wake up in the morning and discover a pile of kids asleep in our room. Well, every mom and dad knows the answer to that.

Those days were toughest on Ann, of course. She was heroic. Five boys, with our families a long way away. I had to travel a lot for my job then and I'd call and try to offer support. But every mom knows that doesn't help get the homework done or the kids out the door to school.

I knew that her job as a mom was harder than mine. And I knew without question, that her job as a mom was a lot more important than mine. And as America saw Tuesday night, Ann would have succeeded at anything she wanted to.

Like a lot of families in a new place with no family, we found kinship with a wide circle of friends through our church. When we were new to the community it was welcoming and as the years went by, it was a joy to help others who had just moved to town or just joined our church. We had remarkably vibrant and diverse congregants from all walks of life and many who were new to America. We prayed together, our kids played together and we always stood ready to help each other out in different ways.

And that's how it is in America. We look to our communities, our faiths, our families for our joy, our support, in good times and bad. It is both how we live our lives and why we live our lives. The strength and power and goodness of America has always been based on the strength and power and goodness of our communities, our families, our faiths.

That is the bedrock of what makes America, America. In our best days, we can feel the vibrancy of America's communities, large and small.

It's when we see that new business opening up downtown. It's when we go to work in the morning and see everybody else on our block doing the same.

It's when our son or daughter calls from college to talk about which job offer they should take'.and you try not to choke up when you hear that the one they like is not far from home.

It's that good feeling when you have more time to volunteer to coach your kid's soccer team, or help out on school trips.

But for too many Americans, these good days are harder to come by. How many days have you woken up feeling that something really special was happening in America?

Many of you felt that way on Election Day four years ago. Hope and Change had a powerful appeal. But tonight I'd ask a simple question: If you felt that excitement when you voted for Barack Obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he's President Obama? You know there's something wrong with the kind of job he's done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.

The President hasn't disappointed you because he wanted to. The President has disappointed America because he hasn't led America in the right direction. He took office without the basic qualification that most Americans have and one that was essential to his task. He had almost no experience working in a business. Jobs to him are about government.

I learned the real lessons about how America works from experience.

When I was 37, I helped start a small company. My partners and I had been working for a company that was in the business of helping other businesses.

So some of us had this idea that if we really believed our advice was helping companies, we should invest in companies. We should bet on ourselves and on our advice.

So we started a new business called Bain Capital. The only problem was, while WE believed in ourselves, nobody else did. We were young and had never done this before and we almost didn't get off the ground. In those days, sometimes I wondered if I had made a really big mistake. I had thought about asking my church's pension fund to invest, but I didn't. I figured it was bad enough that I might lose my investors' money, but I didn't want to go to hell too. Shows what I know. Another of my partners got the Episcopal Church pension fund to invest. Today there are a lot of happy retired priests who should thank him.

That business we started with 10 people has now grown into a great American success story. Some of the companies we helped start are names you know. An office supply company called Staples ' where I'm pleased to see the Obama campaign has been shopping; The Sports Authority, which became a favorite of my sons. We started an early childhood learning center called Bright Horizons that First Lady Michelle Obama rightly praised. At a time when nobody thought we'd ever see a new steel mill built in America, we took a chance and built one in a corn field in Indiana. Today Steel Dynamics is one of the largest steel producers in the United States.

These are American success stories. And yet the centerpiece of the President's entire re-election campaign is attacking success. Is it any wonder that someone who attacks success has led the worst economic recovery since the Great Depression? In America, we celebrate success, we don't apologize for it.

We weren't always successful at Bain. But no one ever is in the real world of business.

That's what this President doesn't seem to understand. Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. It is about dreams. Usually, it doesn't work out exactly as you might have imagined. Steve Jobs was fired at Apple. He came back and changed the world.

It's the genius of the American free enterprise system ' to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating tomorrow's prosperity rather than trying to redistribute today's.

That is why every president since the Great Depression who came before the American people asking for a second term could look back at the last four years and say with satisfaction: "you are better off today than you were four years ago."

Except Jimmy Carter. And except this president.

This president can ask us to be patient.

This president can tell us it was someone else's fault.

This president can tell us that the next four years he'll get it right.

But this president cannot tell us that YOU are better off today than when he took office.

America has been patient. Americans have supported this president in good faith.

But today, the time has come to turn the page.

Today the time has come for us to put the disappointments of the last four years behind us.

To put aside the divisiveness and the recriminations.

To forget about what might have been and to look ahead to what can be.

Now is the time to restore the Promise of America. Many Americans have given up on this president but they haven't ever thought about giving up. Not on themselves. Not on each other. And not on America.

What is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. It doesn't take a special government commission to tell us what America needs.

What America needs is jobs.

Lots of jobs.

In the richest country in the history of the world, this Obama economy has crushed the middle class. Family income has fallen by $4,000, but health insurance premiums are higher, food prices are higher, utility bills are higher, and gasoline prices have doubled. Today more Americans wake up in poverty than ever before. Nearly one out of six Americans is living in poverty. Look around you. These are not strangers. These are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans.

His policies have not helped create jobs, they have depressed them. And this I can tell you about where President Obama would take America:

His plan to raise taxes on small business won't add jobs, it will eliminate them;

His assault on coal and gas and oil will send energy and manufacturing jobs to China;

His trillion dollar cuts to our military will eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs, and also put our security at greater risk;

His $716 billion cut to Medicare to finance Obamacare will both hurt today's seniors, and depress innovation ' and jobs ' in medicine.

And his trillion-dollar deficits will slow our economy, restrain employment, and cause wages to stall.

To the majority of Americans who now believe that the future will not be better than the past, I can guarantee you this: if Barack Obama is re-elected, you will be right.

I am running for president to help create a better future. A future where everyone who wants a job can find one. Where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. An America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon.

And unlike the President, I have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. It has 5 steps.

First, by 2020, North America will be energy independent by taking full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables.

Second, we will give our fellow citizens the skills they need for the jobs of today and the careers of tomorrow. When it comes to the school your child will attend, every parent should have a choice, and every child should have a chance.

Third, we will make trade work for America by forging new trade agreements. And when nations cheat in trade, there will be unmistakable consequences.

Fourth, to assure every entrepreneur and every job creator that their investments in America will not vanish as have those in Greece, we will cut the deficit and put America on track to a balanced budget.

And fifth, we will champion SMALL businesses, America's engine of job growth. That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most. And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Today, women are more likely than men to start a business. They need a president who respects and understands what they do.

And let me make this very clear ' unlike President Obama, I will not raise taxes on the middle class.

As president, I will protect the sanctity of life. I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America's first liberty: the freedom of religion.

President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise...is to help you and your family.

I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began with an apology tour. America, he said, had dictated to other nations. No Mr. President, America has freed other nations from dictators.

Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden. But on another front, every American is less secure today because he has failed to slow Iran's nuclear threat.

In his first TV interview as president, he said we should talk to Iran. We're still talking, and Iran's centrifuges are still spinning.

President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus, even as he has relaxed sanctions on Castro's Cuba. He abandoned our friends in Poland by walking away from our missile defense commitments, but is eager to give Russia's President Putin the flexibility he desires, after the election. Under my administration, our friends will see more loyalty, and Mr. Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone.

We will honor America's democratic ideals because a free world is a more peaceful world. This is the bipartisan foreign policy legacy of Truman and Reagan. And under my presidency we will return to it once again.

You might have asked yourself if these last years are really the America we want, the America won for us by the greatest generation.

Does the America we want borrow a trillion dollars from China? No.

Does it fail to find the jobs that are needed for 23 million people and for half the kids graduating from college? No.

Are its schools lagging behind the rest of the developed world? No.

And does the America we want succumb to resentment and division? We know the answer.

The America we all know has been a story of the many becoming one, uniting to preserve liberty, uniting to build the greatest economy in the world, uniting to save the world from unspeakable darkness.

Everywhere I go in America, there are monuments that list those who have given their lives for America. There is no mention of their race, their party affiliation, or what they did for a living. They lived and died under a single flag, fighting for a single purpose. They pledged allegiance to the UNITED States of America.

That America, that united America, can unleash an economy that will put Americans back to work, that will once again lead the world with innovation and productivity, and that will restore every father and mother's confidence that their children's future is brighter even than the past.

That America, that united America, will preserve a military that is so strong, no nation would ever dare to test it.

That America, that united America, will uphold the constellation of rights that were endowed by our Creator, and codified in our Constitution.

That united America will care for the poor and the sick, will honor and respect the elderly, and will give a helping hand to those in need.

That America is the best within each of us. That America we want for our children.

If I am elected President of these United States, I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future. That future is our destiny. That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it. Let us begin that future together tonight.

Robert Creamer: GOP Convention Fails at Principal Political Goal: Convincing Swing Voters that Romney understands Their Lives

Going into the Republican Convention, Mitt Romney had one major political mission: to convince swing voters that he isn't just the guy who fired their brother in law -- that he understands their lives and is on their side.

Given his record as Governor of Massachusetts -- 47th among the 50 states in job creation -- and his history at Bain Capital, Romney can't really make the case he has any experience creating jobs.

But the thing that really stands between Romney and swing voters is the perception that he has zero empathy -- no comprehension of what life is like for everyday Americans.

So the Republicans tried very hard to tell stories that humanized the otherwise robot-like Romney. But here is the bottom line: when multiple speakers have to testify how authentic you are -- you're not.

The first night of the Convention did feature Ann Romney delivering a simple message: you like me, I love Mitt -- so he must not be so bad.

But it also featured a cast of governors doing auditions for 2016 saying very little about Romney and a great deal about their own "successes." When Chris Christi gave the Convention's Keynote address, he didn't even mention Romney until the very end of his speech.

Night two featured Paul Ryan whipping up the right-wing base and delivering brazen lies about the Obama record. Ryan's speech was a feast for fact checkers. From his assertion that Obama failed to prevent the shutdown of the GM plant at Janesville -- which was closed before Obama took office -- to his attack on the Obama for failing to take seriously recommendations from the Debt Commission which he himself voted to oppose.

Most egregious was Ryan's claim that Obamacare "cut" Medicare by over $700 billion. In fact, of course, far from "cutting" Medicare benefits, Obamacare actually improved Medicare benefits and achieved $700 billion of savings for the Medicare program by cutting huge overpayments and subsidies to big insurance companies. Not one Medicare recipient has had his or her guaranteed benefits cut by ObamaCcre -- and Ryan knows it.

Of course, all the while Ryan was lying about the fake "Obamacare" cuts in Medicare, he and Romney are planning to eliminate Medicare. They have made clear they want to replace it with a voucher program that would provide a fixed amount of money per person and require that seniors shop for coverage on the private insurance market. Their plan will raise out of pocket costs by $6,400 and eliminate the guaranteed benefit that defines Medicare and has meant that American retirees haven't had to worry about their health care costs for over half a century.

The final night of the Convention, the Republicans made a concerted effort to "humanize" Mitt Romney. They put up a string of former friends and associates to tell stories aimed at trying to make him seem more caring and human.

Then Bob White, the Chairman of Romney for President and former partner in Bain Capital, talked about his business experience. White told the story of how Romney was asked to come back from Bain Capital and return to Bain Consulting to save it from collapse. Of course White ignored the fact that, as a new article in Rolling Stone indicates, he achieved that recovery through a federal bailout.

The essential role of the government, by the way, is a consistent, though never mentioned, theme that continued when it came to Romney's "turn around" of the Salt Lake Olympics that receive a larger federal subsidy -- $1.3 billion -- than all of the previous Olympics combined.

Then came Tom Stemberg, the CEO of Staples, which had been funded by Bain Capital, who argued -- in one of the stiffest, least "everyman" speeches ever -- that when the Obama campaign contends that Romney is out of touch with ordinary people, "they just don't get it." In fact, Tom led the assembled delegates in the chant: "they just don't get it". Multi-millionaire Tom Stemberg is a strange choice to serve as cheerleader for how Mitt Romney understands ordinary people.

Ray Fernandez, the owner of Vita Pharmacy, who told everyone how important Bain Capital was in creating his business, followed Stemberg. By this time the Convention was beginning to sound like a business development seminar.

Then came Kerry Healey, Romney's former Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, to tell us about Mitt's Massachusetts record. No mention of the three quarters of a trillion dollar increase in fees on everyday people. No mention of the fact that on his watch Massachusetts was 47th out of the 50 states in job creation. No mention of RomneyCare. No mention that his policies increased student class sizes, or that when he left office, Massachusetts had the highest debt per capita in America.

Next was Jane Edmonds, Romney's former Massachusetts Director of Workforce Development, who testified to Romney's "authenticity." Edmonds went on to argue that Mitt believed in promoting women -- particularly to "senior" positions. No mention of his refusal to endorse laws that would require equal pay for equal work.

Edmonds tried to convince us that Romney was not one of those leaders who "focused only on his own success," but rather would work hard -- selflessly -- to make life better for other people. Now there is a tough sell.

Then came Olympic athletes to testify about how Romney turned around the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Forgot to mention those federal subsidies.

There were videos and home movies. Romney saying that when he traveled a lot, he would call home and find Ann exasperated from five active little boys. Caring guy, he told Ann: "Just remember that what you're doing is more important than what I'm doing." Really?

After the videos, we were treated to a "surprise" guest -- Clint Eastwood -- who argued that the Obama Administration failed to do "enough" to eliminate unemployment. Clint forgot about the fact that when Obama first took office, he confronted the worst economic disaster in 60 years. He forgot that Obama staunched the loss of 750,000 jobs per month that had resulted from the failed trickle down policies of the Bush Administration and that Mitt Romney hopes to revive. He forgot about the last 29 consecutive months of private sector job growth -- over 4 million jobs -- and, most importantly, forgot that the Republicans in Congress have done everything they can to sabotage the economy including refusing to pass the American Jobs Act that independent economists say would have created another million plus jobs.

Then Eastwood rambled through a bizarre, awkward dialogue with a faux Obama during the first fifteen minutes of live primetime network Convention coverage. His presentation will be the most talked about event of the convention. And the Republican Party put out a statement distancing itself from Eastwood's strange presentation just minutes after the Convention adjourned.

When Eastwood finally withdrew, Florida Senator Marco Rubio introduced Romney, recanting stale right-wing bromides and whipping up the Republican hard core. Never a mention of the need for immigration reform, or the fact the Mitt Romney vowed to veto the Dream Act, and is the most anti-immigration candidate for President that of a major party in modern history.

Finally, came Romney, stiff and awkward as ever, touting his record at Bain as a "great American success story." Once again he blamed Obama for presiding over the "worst economic recovery since the Great Depression." Let's remember that the policies that he and Paul Ryan want to reinstall in Washington -- tax cuts for the rich and letting Wall Street run wild -- caused this economic catastrophe. Romney reminds you of an arsonist complaining that the fire department hasn't done a good enough job putting out the fire. And in the course of his speech he never offered one idea to create jobs other than reinstating the failed Bush economic program.

Romney went on to attack the Obama foreign policy -- apparently forgetting about his own recent disastrous foreign policy tour.

But most importantly, Romney did nothing to "Etch-a-Sketch" his image of the out of touch, prep school educated, son of a corporate CEO.

At the close of this Convention the most memorable stories that everyday people remember about Mitt Romney the person still have to do with a dog strapped to the roof of his car, or the way that, as an 18-year-old, he led a gang of teenagers to bully another student. The most memorable facts about Mitt Romney remain that fact that he "likes to fire people" and did exactly that as CEO of Bain Capital.

Mitt's convention fell short in its attempt to convince everyday Americans that he understands who they are and how they live and that he's on their side. That is one of the major reasons, that those ordinary Americans will not elect him President of the United States.

Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com. He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Follow him on Twitter @rbcreamer.

Follow Robert Creamer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rbcreamer

Days Of Unending Rain Expected From Isaac

NEW ORLEANS ' Isaac dropped unrelenting rain Thursday, flooding areas north and south of New Orleans, and officials had to scramble to evacuate and rescue people as waters quickly rose. Inside the city, the fortified defenses held and life began to slowly get back to some sort of normalcy.

Along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain near New Orleans, officials sent scores of buses and dozens of high-water vehicles to help evacuate about 3,000 people as rising waters lapped against houses and left cars stranded. Floodwaters rose waist-high in some neighborhoods, and the Louisiana National Guard was working with sheriff's deputies to rescue people stranded in their homes.

To the east, evacuations were ordered in a sparsely-populated area as a lake dam threatened to break near the Mississippi-Louisiana border. Officials in Tangipahoa Parish, La., feared the water it would pour into the already swollen river would flood low-lying areas downstream.

Even as Isaac weakened on its slow trek inland, it continued to spin off life-threatening weather including storm surges, inland flooding from torrential rain and potential tornadoes. Nearly half of Louisiana electrical customers lost power and another 150,000 were out in neighboring Mississippi.

A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted a couple and their dogs early Thursday from a home in LaPlace, between the Mississippi River and Lake Ponchartrain, after storm surge poured into their neighborhood and local authorities called for help. The couple was taken to New Orleans and reported in good condition.

"The husband and wife and their two dogs were in an area where a lot of houses washed away," said Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Porto. "They used a flashlight inside the house as a signaling device, which made all the difference in locating them effectively."

The floodwaters "were shockingly fast-rising, from what I understand from talking to people," Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said. "It caught everybody by surprise."

A tow truck driver was killed Thursday morning when a tree fell on his truck in Picayune, Miss., just across the state line from Louisiana. Authorities said Isaac was causing heavy rain and strong winds at the time.

President Barack Obama declared federal emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi late Wednesday, allowing federal aid to be freed up for affected areas.

Isaac arrived seven years after Hurricane Katrina and passed slightly to the west of New Orleans, where the city's fortified levee system easily handled the assault.

"Unfortunately, that's not been the case for low-lying areas outside the federal system, in particular lower Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes," said Louisiana Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu. "Hurricane Isaac has reinforced for us once again just how vulnerable these critical areas are. We must re-engage the Corps of Engineers on this."

Louisiana's Public Service Commission said 901,000 homes and businesses around the state ' about 47 percent of all customers ' were without power Thursday. Utility company Entergy said that included about 157,000 in New Orleans.

New Orleans' biggest problems seemed to be downed power lines, scattered tree limbs and minor flooding. One person was reported killed, compared with 1,800 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. And police reported few problems with looting. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

But in Plaquemines Parish, a sparsely populated area south of the city that is outside the federal levee system, dozens of people were stranded in flooded coastal areas and had to be rescued. The storm pushed water over an 18-mile levee and put so much pressure on it that authorities planned to intentionally puncture the floodwall to relieve the strain.

Officials rushed to evacuate more than 100 nursing home residents from Plaquemines Parish, an area with a reputation for residents hunkering down to weather storms and perhaps the hardest hit by Isaac. In this hardscrabble, mostly rural parish, even the sick and elderly are hardened storm veterans.

"I don't think we had to evacuate to begin with," said Romaine Dahl, 59, as he sat in a wheelchair. "The weather was a hell of a lot worse last night than it is now. And I got an idea that after all this is said and done they're going to say everything is over with, go on back home."

Other residents in the Riverbend Nursing and Rehabilitation Center were loaded into ambulances and taken to a nearby naval station. Residents had their names and birth dates attached to their shirts.

Josephine King, 84, handled the move well, waiting in a wheelchair. "I'm feeling good," she said.

By midafternoon Wednesday, Isaac had been downgraded to a tropical storm. The Louisiana National Guard ceased rescue operations in Plaquemines Parish, saying it felt confident it had gotten everyone out. There were no serious injuries. National Guard spokesman Capt. Lance Cagnolatti said guardsmen would stay in the area over the coming days to help.

Isaac's maximum sustained winds had decreased to 45 mph and the National Hurricane Center said it was expected to become a tropical depression by Thursday night, meaning its top sustained winds would drop below 39 mph. The storm's center was on track to cross Arkansas on Friday and southern Missouri on Friday night, spreading rain as it goes.

Forecasters expected Isaac to move farther inland over the next several days, dumping rain on drought-stricken states across the nation's midsection before finally breaking up over the weekend.

Even at its strongest, the storm was far weaker than Hurricane Katrina, which at its peak was a Category 5 and hit New Orleans as a Category 3. Isaac came ashore late Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane, with 80 mph winds near the mouth of the Mississippi River. It drove a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland. Because Isaac's coiled bands of rain and wind were moving at only 5 mph ' about the pace of a brisk walk ' the threat of storm surges and flooding was expected to linger Thursday as the immense system crawled across Louisiana.

In coastal Mississippi, officials used small motorboats Wednesday to rescue at least two dozen people from a neighborhood Isaac flooded in Pearlington. In addition, the National Weather Service said there were reports of at least three possible tornadoes touching down in coastal counties. No injuries were reported.

None of the reports had been confirmed. Until the weather clears, there is no way for survey teams to assess the area to determine whether damage was done by tornadoes or straight-line winds, said NWS Meteorologist Shawn O'Neil.

Back in New Orleans, the storm canceled remembrance ceremonies for those killed by Katrina. Since that catastrophe, the city's levee system has been bolstered by $14 billion in federal repairs and improvements. The bigger, stronger levees were tested for the first time by Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

In Vermilion Parish, a 36-year-old man died after falling 18 feet from a tree while helping friends move a vehicle ahead of the storm. Deputies did not know why he climbed the tree.

The storm stalled for several hours before resuming a crawl inland, and forecasters said that was in keeping with its erratic history. The slow motion over land means Isaac could be a major soaker, dumping up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. New Orleans reported at about 10 inches in some places as rain continued to fall late Wednesday.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Brian Schwaner and Stacy Plaisance in New Orleans; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge; Kevin McGill in Houma; Holbrook Mohr in Waveland and Pass Christian, Miss.; and Jeff Amy in Biloxi and Gulfport, Miss.

"But levees alone won't protect our people."

Jindal: "Every storm is different. Just because your house didn't flood last time doesn't mean it won't flood this time."

Jindal: Up to 60,000 in evacuation zone

Jindal speaks at 12:20 EST on storm briefing. KSLA12 reports:

Governor Bobby Jindal will hold a Unified Command Group meeting in Baton Rouge and then he will hold a press conference at 11:20 AM at GOHSEP to provide an update on the state's response to Tropical Storm Isaac.

Watch video of Jindal's briefing here.

From the Associated Press:

Louisiana officials have ordered evacuation of low-lying, sparsely-populated areas along the Tangipahoa River because an Isaac-hammered dam at a state park lake in southwest Mississippi near the Louisiana border is in danger of failing.

Read more at the Huffington Post.

From Tangipahoa.org:

MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS NOTIFIED GOHSEP AND TANGIPAHOA PARISH GOVERNMENT OF AN "IMMINENT FAILURE" OF THE DAM AT LAKE TANGIPAHOA AT PERCY QUINN STATE PARK. THIS FAILURE IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE ADDITIONAL FLOODING ALONG THE ALREADY SWOLLEN TANGIPAHOA RIVER. RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS.

Click here for more information.

According to the Associated Press, a tow-truck driver was killed Thursday morning while clearing debris from Isaac in Mississippi:

Pearl River County Emergency Management Director Danny Manley says the tree fell on the cab of the truck on Goodyear Boulevard in the Pearl River County city just after Midnight, crushing the cab.

Authorities have not yet released the man's name. Click here for more information.

• Chuck Cropp, center, his son Piers, left, and wife Liz, right, wade through floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Homes are flooded as Hurricane Isaac hits Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Braithwaite, La. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Kneaka Griffin, Ra-Maaz Williams

  Kneaka Griffin, of Davant, La., holds Ra-Maaz Williams, 5 months, at an evacuation shelter after Isaac made landfall as a hurricane, in Belle Chasse, La., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Law enforcement officers and first responders help a family to reach dry land after they were rescued from floodwaters caused by Isaac in Pearlington, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, during a nonstop rain. A number of residents of the small community were trapped by the rising waters and had be rescued or waited until the low tide when waters receded so they could walk out. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• The waters of the Mississippi Sound surround a traffic sign along Coden Belt Road, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012 in Coden, Ala. as Isaac makes landfall along the Gulf Coast. Isaac, downgraded to a tropical storm, has top sustained winds of 70 mph (112 kph), just below the hurricane threshold of 74 mph (119 kph). The storm is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west-southwest of New Orleans, where it is bringing drenching rains and fierce winds. (AP Photo/Mobile Register, G.M. Andrews MAGS OUT

• Hurricane Isaac Hits New Orleans, Gulf Coast

  NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 29: A downed streetlight lies in the rain from Hurricane Isaac in the Central Business District on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The large Level 1 hurricane is slowly moving across southeast Louisiana, dumping large amounts of rain and knocking out power to Louisianans in scattered parts of the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

• Lights are reflected on Canal Street as a police officer patrolling the area passes a pedestrian as storm bands from Hurricane Isaac hit, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Isaac, a massive storm spanning nearly 200 miles from its center, made landfall Tuesday evening near the mouth of the Mississippi River. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

• David Stefano

  Bay St. Louis, Miss., fireman David Stefano reacts as he and other first responders use an airboat to reach a house fire Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Isaac's rainfall flooded a number of streets in this Bay St. Louis subdivision, preventing firemen from responding quickly to the fire that destroyed a house. (AP Photo/Holbrook Mohr)

• Ronnie Willis

  Ronnie Willis makes his way across Canal Street through the wind and rain from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Hurricane Isaac Hits New Orleans, Gulf Coast

  NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 29: Heavy rain from Hurricane Isaac obsures the view of the Crescent City Connection Bridge over the Mississiippi River early on August 29, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The large Level 1 hurricane slowly moved across southeast Louisiana, dumping huge amounts of rain and knocking out power to Louisianans in scattered parts of the state. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

• Timbers smolder after a fire gutted a house on stilts in a Bay St. Louis, Miss., neighborhood after rising storm waters from Isaac prevented firemen from responding quickly with their trucks Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. First responders used an airboat to reach the house in order to make sure the flames did not affect any neighboring homes. (AP Photo/Holbrook Mohr)

• Waves tear apart a pier along the Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. Alabama took a glancing blow from Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday as it headed toward landfall in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but the storm still threatened the coast with high winds, torrential rain and pounding surf. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Bay St. Louis, Miss., first responders brave a driving rain storm as they use an airboat to reach a house fire in a flooded subdivision, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. After several attempts to reach the house fire, flooded streets forced the fire fighters to use the airboat. (AP Photo/Holbrook Mohr)

• A woman stands on a partially submerged picnic bench in the storm surge from Isaac, on Lakeshore Drive along Lake Pontchartrain, as the storm approaches landfall, in New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Waves tear apart a pier along Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in Coden, Ala. Alabama took a glancing blow from Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday as it headed toward landfall in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but the storm still threatened the coast with high winds, torrential rain and pounding surf. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• First responders seek the assistance of a City of Bay St. Louis, Miss., dump truck to tow their airboat back to their launch site after running aground Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Isaac's rainfall flooded a number of streets in this Bay St. Louis, Miss., neighborhood preventing firemen from using their fire trucks. First responders used an airboat to reach a burning house in order to make sure the flames did not affect any neighboring homes. (AP Photo/Holbrook Mohr)

• Alex, left, and Adam ,three-month-old Chihuahua puppies, play in their new kennel at the Houston SPCA on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in Houston. These two were among 70 cats and dogs that were evacuated from St. Bernard Parish Animal Control in anticipation of Hurricane Isaac. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, J. Patric Schneider)

• Debris from crashing waves lies strewn over the parkway going to Dauphin Island forcing a closure to the island on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in Coden, Ala. Alabama took a glancing blow from Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday as it headed toward landfall in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but the storm still threatened the coast with high winds, torrential rain and pounding surf. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Debris lies strewn over the parkway going to Dauphin Island forcing a closure to the island on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in Coden, Ala. Alabama took a glancing blow from Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday as it headed toward landfall in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but the storm still threatened the coast with high winds, torrential rain and pounding surf. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Dillard University students stay at the shelter in the gym of Centenary Colleges as they evacuated from New Orleans because of hurricane Isaac Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 28, 2012 in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/The Times, Henrietta Wildsmith)

• The Waterfront Seafood company is flooded as water covers Shell Belt Road in Bayou La Batre, Ala. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Teresa Ragas, left, and her husband Bertrand Ragas, of Port Sulphur, La., lie side-by-side in cots at an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La., due to the impending landfall of Isaac, which is expected reach the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• A concerned neighbor checks on a car as a storm surge from Isaac pushes into Panama City, Fla. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/The News Herald/Panama City, Fla., Andrew Wardlow) MANDATORY CREDIT

• Senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart updates Isaac to a category one hurricane at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Michelle Hice, Tommy Leonard

  Animal control officer Michelle Hice puts a temporary identification collar on "Snuggles,' as evacuee Tommy Leonard hands him over for safe keeping, at an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La., due to the impending landfall of Isaac, which is expected reach the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Andrew Theriot

  Andrew Theriot flies a kite down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter as rain from Hurricane Isaac falls Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in New Orleans. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Parnell Latham, who refused to obey a mandatory evacuation order in order to protect his storage pods, stands on his property in Plaquemines Parish, La., in anticipation of Isaac, which is expected to make landfall in the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• APTOPIX Jaylon Ragus, Donald Taylor, Jr.

  Donald Taylor, Jr., of Phoenix, La., watches his nephew Jaylon Ragus, 5, of Davant, La., play with a gaming device in an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La., due to the impending landfall of Isaac, which is expected reach the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Annie Riley picks up her lunch while seeking shelter at the Theodore High School on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 in Theodore, Ala. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Toni Barnard holds a baby squirrel she rescued as she sought shelter at the Theodore High School on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 in Theodore, Ala. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Hurricane Isaac

  Waves crash Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in Dauphin Island, Ala., as Isaac approaches the Gulf Coast. Isaac became a hurricane that could flood the coasts of four states with storm surge and heavy rains on its way to New Orleans, where residents hunkered down behind levees fortified after Katrina struck seven years ago this week. (AP Photo/Press-Register, Mike Kittrell) MAGS OUT

• The first real impacts of Isaac reach the beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala. at high tide as all access to the beach is closed on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. The National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would grow to a Category 1 hurricane over the warm Gulf and possibly hit late Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile (500-kilometer) stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Krystal Ledet, back left, looks after her son, Brandon Malbrough as her daughter Alexus Malbrough, left, colors with her grandmother, Melissa Rodrigue, right, after evacuating to a shelter in Houma, La., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Centenary College Public Safety Officer Alvin Bush walks around the gym floor in the fitness center on campus between beds for students from Dillard University who are coming to the campus because of Tropical Storm Isaac heading towards New Orleans. Students are expected to arrive in Shreveport, La., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/The Shreveport Times, Jim Hudelson) NO SALES, MAGS OUT

• Jaden Fabian

  Jaden Fabian, 1, cries as she is loaded into a car seat as her family evacuates their home in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to make landfall in the region as a hurricane this evening in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Estanislao Fabian

  Estanislao Fabian loads food into their car as they evacuate their home in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to make landfall in the region as a hurricane this evening in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• A woman stands among her belongings outside her damaged home after the passing of Tropical Storm Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday Aug. 26, 2012. The death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Isaac has climbed to seven after an initial report of four deaths, the Haitian government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

• Rick Knabb, Stacy Stewart, James Franklin

  Dr. Rick Knabb, center, director of the National Hurricane Center, Stacy Stewart, right, senior hurricane specialist, and James Franklin, chief hurricane specialist, track Tropical Storm Issac at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Monday, Aug. 2, 2012. Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday and had New Orleans in its crosshairs, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• A woman jogs along Bayshore Boulevanrd in between squalls blowing across the bay in Tampa, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The Republican National Convention has delayed it's start because of the approaching tropical storm Isaac which is churning it's way across the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

• A Coast Guard patrol boat cruises past the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The start of the Republican National Convention, being held at the facility, has been delayed because of the approaching tropical storm Isaac. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Willie Shook

  Willie Shook, 65, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, takes a break from assisting her neighbor's packing up her belongings in preparation of leaving their beach front homes in Long Beach, Miss., prior to Tropical Storm Isaac making landfall, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. Shook and her neighbors were completely wiped out by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, but said regardless of the effects of this latest storm, she will come back to her home and rebuild if necessary. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Daniel Shedd, left, and George Lopez board up a local Bruster's in Gulf Shores, Ala. on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would grow to a Category 1 hurricane over the warm Gulf and possibly hit late Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile (500-kilometer) stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle. The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and hurricane-tested residents were boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Isaac Soaks Florida Keys, Leaves Little Damage Behind

  KEY WEST, FL - AUGUST 27: A Monroe County worker collects downed Sea Grape trees after Tropical Storm Isaac moved through the Florida Keys on August 27, 2012 in Key West, Florida. Isaac, still rated as a tropical storm, is expected to strengthen into at least a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall somewhere over an approximately 300 mile portion of the Gulf Coast, which includes New Orleans, on August 29, the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

• People ride motorbikes in a flooded street in Havana on August 26, 2012, following the passage of tropical storm Isaac. With winds reaching 50 miles (85 kilometers) per hour, the storm brought heavy rain and choppy seas to the Florida Keys after battering Haiti and sweeping across Cuba late Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/GettyImages)

• HAITI-WEATHER-STORM

  Haitians living in a tent camp walk in the rain August 25, 2012 as Tropical Storm Isaac barrels through Port-Au-Prince. Forecasters earlier said Isaac was near hurricane strength when the eye of the storm passed over Haiti, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in squalid, makeshift camps following a catastrophic 2010 earthquake. An eight-year-old Haitian girl died when a wall collapsed at her home and a 51-year-old woman died when her roof collapsed, according to officials, who later said two other people had died in the storm. Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere even before the earthquake killed 250,000 people, and 400,000 citizens are still living in tent camps in and around the devastated capital Port-au-Prince. More than 3,300 families had been evacuated to temporary shelters ahead of Isaac as aid groups provided clean water and hygiene kits to try to limit the risk of contaminated water and the spread of disease. AFP PHOTO/Thony BELIZAIRE (Photo credit should read THONY BELIZAIRE/AFP/GettyImages)

• Contractors work to remove the first of three barge haul units at the Pinto Terminal on Monday morning, Aug. 27, 2012, in Mobile, Ala., as the Alabama State Port Authority prepares for Tropical Storm Isaac. These one-of-kind units guide barges via remote control by the crane operator during ship unloading operations and are valued at $2.5 million each. (AP Photo/Press-Register, Mike Kittrell) MAGS OUT

• Waves batter Havana's seafront on August 26, 2012, following the passage of tropical storm Isaac. With winds reaching 50 miles (85 kilometers) per hour, the storm brought heavy rain and choppy seas to the Florida Keys after battering Haiti and sweeping across Cuba late Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/GettyImages)

• A horse is loaded into a trailer by workers at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, after a mandatory evacuation of the animals was issued by the track, in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to become a hurricane as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, in New Orleans, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Heavy storm clouds hover over the skyline of downtown Miami as Tropical Storm Isaac's weather bands reach the Miami area aon Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Carl Juste)

• Folko Weltzien, 38, kite surfs as high winds from Hurricane Isaac gusts on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in Miami. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Carl Juste)

• A person walks by a sign warning about Hurricane Isaac, in Key West, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• A message warns drivers of severe weather on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in Miami. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Hector Gabino)

• Workers put up shutters at a local cafe in Key West, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, as the prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• A cyclist rides his bike in Key West, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Craig Jones, left, and Kimberly Branson secure their boat in Key West, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac. Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Shira Edllan Gervasi, of Israel, puts her name on plywood protecting a storefront in Key West, Fla., in anticipation of Tropical Storm Isaac on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. Isaac's winds are expected to be felt in the Florida Keys by sunrise Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Oren Eshel boards a storefront on Duval Street in Key West, Fla., Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012. Isaac's winds are expected to be felt in the Florida Keys by sunrise Sunday morning. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• A person braves the rain at Clarence Higgs Beach in Key West, Fla., as Tropical Storm Isaac hits the area on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Walter Michot)

• People react as they survey the damage in Jacmel, Haiti, a day after Tropical Storm Isaac brought rains and winds across the nation, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. At least seven people were killed by flooding in Haiti, including in tent cities filled with earthquake victims, and two others in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell)

• A van passes along a road that gave way on the way to Jacmel, Haiti, a day after Tropical Storm Isaac brought rains and winds across the nation, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. At least seven people were killed by flooding in Haiti, including in tent cities filled with earthquake victims, and two others in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell)

• A man walks on the beach in Key West, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012 as heavy winds hit the northern coast from Tropical Storm Isaac. Isaac is expected to continue streaming across Marion County Monday as it continues toward the northern Gulf of Mexico. National Weather Service officials in Jacksonville on Sunday said Marion County began getting rain bands from Isaac around 2 p.m. and that the rain would continue through Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• In this photo provided by Florida Power & Light Company, line specialist Dustin Pezet works to restore power as Tropical Storm Isaac strikes in Miami on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys, with forecasters warning it could grow into a dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it nears the northern Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Florida Power & Light Company, David Adame)

• Lifeguard Duane Gonzalez takes down the red warning flag on a beach in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. Some rain and winds from Tropical Storm Isaac are beginning to reach Tampa where the Republican National Convention has postponed the start of their meeting because of the approaching storm. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Residents skin a goat killed during the passing of Tropical Storm Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday Aug. 26, 2012. The death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Isaac has climbed to seven after an initial report of four deaths, the Haitian government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

• A girl recovers a toy from muddy waters at her flooded house after the passing of Tropical Storm Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday Aug. 26, 2012. The death toll in Haiti from Tropical Storm Isaac has climbed to seven after an initial report of four deaths, the Haitian government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)

• Workers move horses into trailers at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, after a mandatory evacuation of the animals was issued by the track, in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to become a hurricane as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, in New Orleans, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• An elderly gentleman clears a tree from the road in Jacmel, Haiti, a day after Tropical Storm Isaac brought rains and winds across the nation, Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012. At least seven people were killed by flooding in Haiti, including in tent cities filled with earthquake victims, and two others in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Patrick Farrell)

• Richard McKean

  Richard McKean buys gas for a generator as residents and property owners prepare for Tropical Storm Isaac on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, in Dauphin Island, Ala. (AP Photo/Press-Register, Mike Kittrell) MAGS OUT

• A bus drives past Havana's malecon (seafront) on August 26, 2012, following the passage of tropical storm Isaac. With winds reaching 50 miles (85 kilometers) per hour, the storm brought heavy rain and choppy seas to the Florida Keys after battering Haiti and sweeping across Cuba late Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center said. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/GettyImages)

• A local resident carries a sandbag in anticipation of floods possibly generated by the weather system Isaac in Tampa, Florida on August 24, 2012. According to the National Weather Service, Isaac's projected path would most likely take it just to the west of Tampa as a Category 1 hurricane at the same time when the 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• A local resident loads sandbags in his pick-up car in anticipation of floods possibly generated by the weather system Isaac in Tampa, Florida on August 24, 2012. According to the National Weather Service, Isaac's projected path would most likely take it just to the west of Tampa as a Category 1 hurricane at the same time when the 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum from August 27-30, 2012. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• A resident walks along the pier at Ballast Park in Tampa, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The Republican National Convention has delayed it's start because of the approaching tropical storm Isaac which is churning it's way across the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

• Phil Bryant, Rupert Lacy

  Harrison County Emergency Management Agency Director Rupert Lacy, left, listens as Gov. Phil Bryant discusses Gulf Coast preparations for Tropical Storm Isaac during a news conference at the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center in Gulfport, Miss., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• In this photo taken Monday, July 2, 2012, early morning sunlight illuminates fuel storage tanks at a North Little Rock, Ark., petroleum distributorship. The price of oil fell Monday, Aug. 27, 2012, as the threat to production from Tropical Storm Isaac appeared to lessen and traders speculated about a release of oil from U.S. reserves. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

• Isaac Soaks Florida Keys, Leaves Little Damage Behind

  KEY WEST, FL - AUGUST 27: A Monroe County Utility worker repairs power lines after Tropical Storm Isaac moved through the Florida Keys on August 27, 2012 in Key West, Florida. Isaac, still rated as a tropical storm, is expected to strengthen into at least a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall somewhere over an approximately 300 mile portion of the Gulf Coast, which includes New Orleans, on August 29, the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

• Isaac Soaks Florida Keys, Leaves Little Damage Behind

  KEY WEST, FL - AUGUST 27: A Monroe County Utility worker repairs power lines after Tropical Storm Isaac moved through the Florida Keys on August 27, 2012 in Key West, Florida. Isaac, still rated as a tropical storm, is expected to strengthen into at least a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall somewhere over an approximately 300 mile portion of the Gulf Coast, which includes New Orleans, on August 29, the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

• US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

  A local resident loads his car with bottled water outside a Walmart store in anticipation of water shortage caused by the oncoming Tropical Storm in Tampa, Florida on August 26, 2012. A strengthening Tropical Storm Isaac barreled toward Florida and was predicted to become a hurricane on Sunday, forcing a one-day delay to the main events of the Republican convention. A hurricane warning was in effect for the Florida Keys and parts of the state's southwest coast and the Republican Party announced that severe weather warnings had postponed the start of its four-day gathering in Tampa. The proceedings will now start on Tuesday afternoon instead of Monday. Early Sunday, the storm was around 205 miles (330 kilometers) east-southeast of Key West, Florida and it was moving northwest at 18 miles (30 kilometers) per hour, with forecasts suggesting it would strengthen even over the next 48 hours, the NHC said. 'Isaac is expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it reaches the Florida Keys,' the center warned. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

• Brenda Johns, Willie Shooks

  Willie Shooks, right, and Brenda Johns, next door neighbors and survivors of Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, say while they trust the Lord will protect them, they are taking no chances, securing their homes and moving off the beach front lots in Long Beach, Miss., before Tropical Storm Isaac becomes a hurricane, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. When Hurricane Katrina hit, the two neighbors lost everything, returning to foundations and debris where houses once stood. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Daniel Sobel, of New City, N.Y., left, and his sister Joanna Sobel, right, lift his 8-year-old daughter Rachel over a wave as it comes crashing ashore in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The effects of Tropical Storm Isaac, more than 1,100 miles away, have been roiling the surf at the Jersey Shore, restricting swimming and keeping lifeguards on their toes. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

• Shrimp boats are tied up Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 in Bayou La Batre, Ala. as residents prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaac along the Gulf Coast . (AP Photo/Press-Register, G.M. Andrews) MAGS OUT

• Rick McLendon looks out from the front of his boarded-up business, Bayou Produce, while he awaits customers Monday, Aug. 27, 2012 in Bayou La Batre, Ala. as residents prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Isaac along the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/Press-Register, G.M. Andrews) MAGS OUT

• Mike Palmer

  Mike Palmer surfs in waves ahead of Tropical Storm Isaac in Perdido Key, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

• Rick Knabb

  Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, gives an update on Tropical Storm Isaac at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday and had New Orleans in its crosshairs, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Some residence are boarding up their homes while others have chosen not to take Isaac seriously in Gulf Shores, Ala. on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would grow to a Category 1 hurricane over the warm Gulf and possibly hit late Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile (500-kilometer) stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle. The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and hurricane-tested residents were boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Hurricane specialist John Cangialosi tracks the center of Tropical Storm Isaac at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. Tropical Storm Isaac targeted a broad swath of the Gulf Coast on Monday and had New Orleans in its crosshairs, bearing down just ahead of the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Larry Fabacher carries bags of ice to his home as he prepares for Tropical Storm Isaac Monday, Aug. 27, 2012, in New Orleans. Isaac is churning it's way across the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Gus Williams, Somaya Washington, Areonisha Washington

  Gus Williams, left, feeds his step-granddaughter Somaya Washington, right, as her mother, Areonisha Washington, center, watches after evacuating to a shelter in Houma, La., Tuesday, May 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• Meteorologist Monica Bozeman tracks Tropical Storm Isaac at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Workers fill Hesco baskets at a flood wall at Route 23, in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• A sailboat is grounded on the beach in Pass Christian, Miss., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Estanislao Fabian, Jordan Fabian, Jaylah Cole, Jaden Fabian

  Estanislao Fabian loads the their car as Jordan Fabian, 6, and Jaylah Cole, 6, comfort Jaden Fabian, 1, as they evacuate their home in advance of Tropical Storm Isaac, which is expected to make landfall in the region as a hurricane this evening in Plaquemines Parish, La., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• A sailboat is grounded on the beach in Pass Christian, Miss., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet (3.6 meters) along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) as far away as the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Sea gulls fly over rising tides and brisk winds due to Tropical Storm Isaac along the water in west Gulfport, Miss., Tuesday morning, Aug. 28, 2012. Mississippi utility companies have extra crews on hand for possible widespread outages from Isaac. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Stacey Davis

  Stacey Davis, left, and his board up windows on their home before Tropical Storm Isaac hits Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in New Orleans. Tropical Storm Isaac is churning it's way across the Gulf of Mexico towards New Orleans. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• John Richardson and his nephew Myles Erickson get in some fishing time while the rest of the family prepares for Isaac in Bayou La Batre, Ala. on Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. The National Hurricane Center predicted Isaac would grow to a Category 1 hurricane over the warm Gulf and possibly hit late Tuesday somewhere along a roughly 300-mile (500-kilometer) stretch from the bayous southwest of New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle. The size of the warning area and the storm's wide bands of rain and wind prompted emergency declarations in four states, and hurricane-tested residents were boarding up homes, stocking up on food and water or getting ready to evacuate. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Tropical Storm Isaac

  Surfers head out to catch waves whipped up by Tropical Storm Isaac at Haulover Beach Park in Miami Beach, Fla., Monday, Aug. 27, 2012. Forecasters predicted Isaac would intensify into a Category 1 hurricane later Monday or Tuesday with top sustained winds of between 74 and 95 mph. The center of its projected path took Isaac directly toward New Orleans on Wednesday, but hurricane warnings extended across some 330 miles from Morgan City, La., to Destin, Fla. It could become the first hurricane to hit the Gulf Coast since 2008. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

• Rick Knabb, James Franklin, Ed Rappaport

  Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, standing center, James Franklin, chief hurricane specialist, at the National Hurricane Center, standing foreground left, and Ed Rappaport, and deputy director, National Hurricane Center, keep track of Isaac in Miami, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

• Pedestrians make their way down Bourbon Street as rain from Hurricane Isaac falls in the French Quarter Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in New Orleans. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• U.S. Senator David Vitter, R- La., left, Jefferson Parish President John Young, second left, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Army Corps of Engineers Col. Ed Fleming, right, talk as they tour the new levee wall and pumps at the 17th Street Canal in New Orleans, built after Hurricane Katrina, as Hurricane Isaac approaches New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The Category 1 hurricane is expected to hit New Orleans overnight. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)

• FLORIDA HURRICANE ISAAC

  Waves from Isaac crash against the Jetty East condominium in Destin, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 as the storm makes its way toward expected landfall in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Northwest Florida Daily News, Devon Ravine)

• FLORIDA HURRICANE ISAAC

  L'Rena Anderson leans into the wind as she walks along the beach on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Anderson was among many local residents who turned out to watch the effects of Hurricane Isaac as it churns through the Gulf of Mexico toward an expected landfall in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Northwest Florida Daily News, Devon Ravine)

• FLORIDA HURRICANE ISAAC

  A crowd gathers on the end of the boardwalk on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 to watch rough surf generated by Hurricane Isaac as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico with an expected landfall in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Northwest Florida Daily News, Devon Ravine)

• Tommy Leonard

  Tommy Leonard, of Port Sulphur, La.., says goodbye to his dog 'Snuggles,' before he hands him over to animal control officers, who are keeping evacuees pets for them, at an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La., due to the impending landfall of Isaac, which is expected reach the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Crayione Alexis, Ra'yna Williams

  Crayione Alexis, 9, of Phoenix, La., left, and Ra'yna Williams, 5, of Davant, La., play while in an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La., due to the impending landfall of Isaac, which is expected reach the region as a hurricane this evening, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Shajuana Turner, Ra-Maz Williams

  Shajuana Turner plays with her cousin Ra-Maz Williams, five months, in an evacuation shelter in Belle Chasse, La. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• People staying at the Theodore High School shelter line up for lunch on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

• Wendy Curtis

  Wendy Curtis walks through the wind and rain from Isaac as the outer bands make landfall Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in Chalmette, La. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• From left, Jill Croy and Rachel Croy sit on the new levee wall that was built after Hurricane Katrina as Isaac continues its path to New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)

• Sand drifts float across the parking lot of the Silver Slipper Casino in Waveland, Miss., Tuesday Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Barack Obama

  In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2012, President Barack Obama speaks about Tropical Storm Isaac, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington. Trying to keep his job as he does his job, President Barack Obama assures the nation his administration is on top of the looming Gulf Coast hurricane Isaac, then gets on a waiting helicopter to head out for votes. The swift pivot illustrates the president's juggle of governing and campaigning -- neither of which ever stops. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

• A Louisiana National Guard vehicle rolls down Bourbon Street as Isaac continues its path to New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)

• High waters surround signs noting reserved parking for Dauphin Island Ferry employees and for bait shop customers at the ferry landing Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 on Dauphin Island, Ala. as residents prepare for the landfall of Hurricane Isaac along the Gulf Coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana.(AP Photo/Mobile Register, G.M. Andrews) MAGS OUT

• A man sleeps outside a boarded-up building on Canal Street in New Orleans Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, prior to the approach of Isaac, which is expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana by early Wednesday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm, with 75 mph (120 kph) winds, had gained strength as it moved over the warm, open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Mobile County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Swayze uses binoculars to view the the road conditions of the partially-flooded Highway 193 leading to Dauphin Island, Ala., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012 as residents prepare for the landfall of Isaac along the Gulf Coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it's expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana.(AP Photo/Mobile Register, G.M. Andrews) MAGS OUT

• A deserted Bourbon Street in the French Quarter is shown as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012, in New Orleans. Hurricane Isaac made landfall south of New Orleans Tuesday night. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

• People play in the storm surge from Hurricane Isaac, on Lakeshore Drive along Lake Pontchartrain, as the storm nears land, in New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Isaac's rain and winds buffeted the streets of Waveland, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast. Isaac was packing 80 mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane. It came ashore early Tuesday near the mouth of the Mississippi River, driving a wall of water nearly 11 feet high inland and soaking a neck of land that stretches into the Gulf. The storm stalled for several hours before resuming a slow trek inland, and forecasters said that was in keeping with the its erratic history. The slow motion over land means Isaac could be a major soaker, dumping up to 20 inches of rain in some areas. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• US-WEATHER-STORM

  People brave the rain and strong winds for a walk along the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans on August 28, 2012 in Louisiana, where Hurricane Isaac has made landfall. The US National Hurricane Center said a 'dangerous storm surge' was occurring along the northern Gulf Coast with storm surges of up to eight feet (2.4 meters) already being reported in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing authorities to coordinate disaster relief and seek emergency federal funds. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GettyImages)

• US-WEATHER-STORM

  A group of men walk along a deserted Bourbon Street in New Orleans on August 28, 2012 in Louisiana, where Hurricane Isaac has made landfall. The US National Hurricane Center said a 'dangerous storm surge' was occurring along the northern Gulf Coast with storm surges of up to eight feet (2.4 meters) already being reported in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing authorities to coordinate disaster relief and seek emergency federal funds. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GettyImages)

• US-WEATHER-STORM

  Strong winds and big waves engulf Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans on August 28, 2012 in Louisiana, where Hurricane Isaac has made landfall. The US National Hurricane Center said a 'dangerous storm surge' was occurring along the northern Gulf Coast with storm surges of up to eight feet (2.4 meters) already being reported in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana and Mississippi, allowing authorities to coordinate disaster relief and seek emergency federal funds. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/GettyImages)

• US Gulf Coast Prepares For Approaching Isaac

  BAY ST. LOUIS, MS - AUGUST 28: Gene Gibson pets his cat as water rises from the rising bayeux waters, flooding his property ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaac on August 28, 2012 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Many residents of the area decided to stay in their homes instead of evacuate for the Level 1 hurricane. The area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

• Residents of the Riverbend Nursing Center are evacuated to higher and safer ground as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in Jesuit Bend, La. Plaquemines Parish ordered a mandatory evacuation for the west bank of the Mississippi below Belle Chasse because of worries about a storm surge. The order affected about 3,000 people, including residents of the nursing home. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

• Danessa Lee, Ashanti Lee

  Danessa Lee, left, comforts her granddaughter Ashanti Lee, 12, after their family was rescued in Pearlington, Miss., by law enforcement officers and first responders using boats, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, during the nonstop rain from Isaac. A number of residents of the small community were trapped by the rising waters and had be rescued or waited until the low tide when waters receded so they could walk out. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Pearlington, Miss., residents are brought out of their flooded community by law enforcement officers and first responders using boats, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, during the nonstop rain from Isaac. A number of residents of the small community were trapped by the rising waters and had be rescued or waited until the low tide when waters receded so they could walk out. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

• Toccara Williams, Ra-Maaz Williams, Romaule Williams

  Toccara Williams, of Davant, La., hands their 5-month-old daughter Ra-Maaz Williams to her husband, Romaule Williams Jr., at an evacuation shelter after Isaac made landfall as a Hurricane, in Belle Chasse, La., Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. Plaquemines Parish ordered a mandatory evacuation for the west bank of the Mississippi below Belle Chasse because of worries about a storm surge. The order affected about 3,000 people, including a nursing home with 112 residents. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

• Water flows out of the new 17th Street Canal pumping station as Hurricane Isaac hits Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012, in New Orleans. As Isaac made landfall, it was expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in several parts of Louisiana. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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