Smith eludes controversial issues as he skips GOP convention

When Senator Gordon Smith announced in July he was skipping out on the Republican convention, little did he know of the political chaos he would be avoiding.  First, Republican presidential nominee John McCain brought forth Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate igniting questions of her lack of experience to lead America and now zeroing in on the issue of teenage pregnancy with revelations that Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant.  Now, as hurricane Gustav hits the coast of Louisiana tempering convention activities, President George Bush turns his focus away from actual victims and onto offshore drilling in his morning update. 

Competing in one of the most hotly contested US Senate campaigns in the country, Smith dodges responding to these hot-button issues on the convention floor while continuing to bombard Oregon television screens with ads attacking Democratic opponent Jeff Merkley and quietly waiting for all the national political storms to pass.