Yeah, the last one sounds a bit out of place.

Pending the arrival of Gustav, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama stood before crowds in Detroit and Battle Creek this week and said this wasn’t the time to argue politics but to come together as Americans to support those who may be affected by the hurricane.

Speaking from General Motors headquarters Monday, Obama compared the nation to a union when he asked those in the audience to aid those affected by the hurricane, saying no one should have to walk alone.

Meanwhile, Monday’s speeches at the Republican National Convention were canceled, and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, Ariz., said he would only attend to required party business, which was to be completed by 5 p.m. Monday. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney canceled their planned convention speeches for Monday to concentrate on hurricane-related relief.

All this could actually be helpful if it didn’t seem so disingenuous.

Canceled speeches and pleas for financial support mean nothing if the candidates don’t intend to offer anything other than encouragement for others to take action.

Although Gustav has proven not to be the storm The Weather Channel anticipated, recognizing its potential to destroy an area still struggling to recuperate after three years is better than ignoring it all together.

Writing off Hurricane Katrina as just another storm created a catastrophe and a blemish on the face of the current presidential administration. It’s good to see that Bush and Cheney aren’t going to make that mistake again and that they’re jumping into action a few days in advance rather than a few days too late.

But the presidential candidates haven’t flexed their leadership skills as strongly as I would have hoped they would in this situation.

In the time that McCain supposedly spent “monitoring” the progress of the storm Monday, he could have worked with Bush and Cheney to organize relief workers to be sent to the damaged areas following the hurricane. Obama could have done the same by diverting his campaign trail from Michigan to the Gulf Coast. I’m sure a campaign bus could hold at least a few families without the transportation necessary to flee the wrath of Gustav.

It’s a stretch, I know, and I’m purposely being facetious. The point is the actions the candidates have taken so far — postponing convention festivities and text-messaging the nation’s tech-savvy — haven’t convinced me that either is totally committed to supporting Gulf Coast residents.

Seeing as neither are the nation’s leader yet, their influence on how to handle Gustav is rightfully limited. But the past few days have shown me how desperate each is to prove himself as a leader without truly understanding exactly what the word means. It comes across as calculated politics, not genuine concern for the well-being of our fellow Americans.

I knew things were getting out of hand after reading about former Democratic National Committee chairman Don Fowler’s comments that Hurricane Gustav was a sign that God was on the side of the Democrats.

Fowler later apologized for the joke, which is obviously distracting attention and news coverage from the RNC — saying that he believes in a compassionate God, not a vengeful one.

Unfortunately, voters have yet to see a compassionate presidential candidate (not to imply presidential candidates can be likened to God). Instead, we’ve seen two candidates feigning concern and using what could have been a national disaster to bolster their political image.

Whitney Gronski is the State News opinion editor. Reach her at gronskiw@msu.edu.