There is some chatter that the Republicans will delay their convention due to Hurricane Gustav. I'm not saying they will postpone it, but a postponement could level McCain's money disadvantage.
As we know, Hurricane Gustav is approaching the Gulf Coast. Republican governors of MS and LA could ask for a delay so as to not distract the country, Bush will emphasize the need for the highest government officials to put duty before politics, and the nominating convention could be put off for a week or two.
During that time, McCain will be able to legally raise unlimited amounts of money instead of encumbering himself with the spending limits of the general election public finance system.
Since McCain opted into the public finance system for the general election, he will be given $84 million by the Treasury. That $84 million will essentially be the maximum he is allowed to spend through election day. However, since McCain is no longer in the public finance system for the primaries, he is able to raise <span style="font-style:italic;">unlimited</span> dollars until his general election campaign begins. So the longer McCain waits, the more money he has.
Nice loophole there. The Republicans figured it out in 2004, when their convention was a month after Democrats nominated Kerry. Thus, Kerry had less to spend on the general election than Bush.