Is Rove Behind McCain's Tour?

Was John McCain's 'round the country biography tour Karl Rove's idea?

On Feb. 20, Rove spoke at the University of Pennsylvania, and, in response to a question, here's one of the things he said when asked what he would tell McCain to do, as recounted in the notes of my source "G," a reliable man of integrity whose note taking abilities I vouch for.

Said Rove:

"McCain needs to focus on defining himself. First and more important, McCain needs to understand that no one in the country really knows who the guy is. He's a war hero and ran for president eight years ago. But they don't know a lot about him. He needs to seize the opportunity to reintroduce himself."

Not sold yet? Keep reading...

"He should take a biographical tour to the places in the country that have made him who he is. Go to the Naval Academy and talk about the values he learned there. Then he should go to Pensalcola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas where he was trained as a naval aviator, and talk from the heart and the call to service. Go to Meridien, Mississippi and Jacksonville, Florida and talk about what he learned about leadership commanding the largest naval air squadron in the United States. He should go to wherever it was that he first stepped foot back in the United States after the Vietnam War and meet with his POW buddies and talk about what he learned about character when he sat in that cell in hell. And he should give a speech in Sedona, Arizona and talk about the people and places in his hometown that affected him."

(McCain's speaking in Prescott, AZ, not Sedona, but close enough.)

When the moderator told Rove that McCain should call him for advice, Rove replied: "Who says he hasn't?"

It's not news that Rove is informally advising McCain; but will history record that McCain’s bio your has its roots in ... strategery?

Comments

Anybody who would associated with Karl Rove needs to first take a long, hot, sterilizing shower and then take a serious lesson in morals.

Hmmmm. Iraq? Tax cuts? Karl? Sounds more and more like "four more years" all the time.

Posted by LFC | April 4, 2008 3:47 PM

Hey, the log house Republicans would be thrilled to see Rove back.

Posted by D | April 4, 2008 4:06 PM

LFC ???

as opposed to associating with Rev. Wright or the Clintons ? Please ...

You can't name a single dirty trick that Rove ever pulled ... and please link to a verifiable news source as proof ...

Liberal echo chamber pin head ...

Posted by Jeff | April 4, 2008 4:21 PM

Ambinder is too "kept" to look into things like this, but there's an interesting cross-border extended network involved here. Bush/Rove supported McCain's amnesty scheme, and someone named RobAllyn is linked to them. RA co-wrote VicenteFox's recent book, and he also got 3/4 of a million to do an ad campaign to push MX's amnesty agenda inside the U.S. A McCain outreach director used to work for VicenteFox. Nowadays, he's a fellow at the McCain-linked think tank, and DickMorris co-wrote his latest book. The latter also did some work for... VicenteFox. I'm not saying the latter is the master of the universe, but he certainly is something that various people linked in some way to McCain have in common.

And, for an older article listing even less savory Bush associates, see this: elandar.com/bush/amigos.html

Posted by TLB | April 4, 2008 4:23 PM

Good catch -- and don't forget that in his GQ interview Rove mentioned "some things I'm doing in politics under the radar."

Posted by Steve M. | April 4, 2008 4:50 PM

Jeff said... You can't name a single dirty trick that Rove ever pulled ...

Per 60 Minutes:
"A Republican operative in Alabama says Karl Rove asked her to try to prove the state's Democratic governor was unfaithful to his wife in an effort to thwart the highly successful politician's re-election," CBS's Scott Pelley reports for 60 Minutes. "Rove's attempt to smear Don Siegelman was part of a Republican campaign to ruin him that finally succeeded in imprisoning him, says the operative, Jill Simpson."

Or maybe the investigation into his illegal use of
GOP committee e-mail for gov't biz. And let's not forget the same investigation looking into his follow up "OOPSIE! I LOST ALL MY E-MAIL" excuse. How come he was never charged with this when it was blatantly illegal?

From Wikipedia (you can follow the multiple citations), info on Karl and the Plame leak:

On July 10, 2005, Newsweek posted a story from its July 18 print edition which quoted one of the e-mails written by Time reporter Matthew Cooper in the days following the publication of Wilson's op-ed piece.[53] Writing to TIME bureau chief Michael Duffy on July 11, 2003, three days before Novak's column was published, Cooper recounted a two-minute conversation with Karl Rove "on double super secret background" in which Rove said that Wilson's wife was a CIA employee: "it was, KR [Karl Rove] said, Wilson's wife, who apparently works at the agency on WMD issues who authorized the trip". In a TIME article released July 17, 2005, Cooper says Rove ended his conversation by saying "I've already said too much."

In addition, Rove told Cooper that CIA Director George Tenet did not authorize Wilson's trip to Niger, and that "not only the genesis of the trip [to Niger] is flawed an[d] suspect but so is the report" which Wilson made upon his return from Africa. Rove "implied strongly there's still plenty to implicate Iraqi interest in acquiring uranium fro[m] Niger", gave Cooper a "big warning" not to "get too far out on Wilson". Cooper recommended that his bureau chief assign a reporter to contact the CIA for further confirmation, and indicated that the tip should not be sourced to Rove or even to the White House.

That enough for ya', Jeff?

Posted by LFC | April 4, 2008 5:13 PM

Fox News:

Who knows if Rove is secretly behind it or not. Rove definitely gave the same advice, on multiple occasions on Fox News - broadcast to a few million political minded folks and part insiders.

Posted by OnPrincipleBlog | April 4, 2008 5:16 PM

Let's call this tour for what it really is: this is McCain's "I bonked a broad at every port" tour.

Posted by How Insane Is John McCain? | April 4, 2008 5:29 PM

Er, let's try that again. I give you... the "I bonked a broad at every port" tour.

Posted by How Insane Is John McCain? | April 4, 2008 5:32 PM

Unfortunately, with each new stop on his "Service to America" biographical tour, John McCain only raises disturbing new questions about his past.

For the details, see:
"John McCain's Bio Waste."

Posted by Furious | April 4, 2008 6:41 PM

Too bad nobody including Rove has ever heard of this Jill Simpson. What should have been stated get facts from legit news sources. I think 60 minutes is no more than a gossip show/lefty talking points and has NO credibility. Dan Rather proved that

Posted by dan | April 4, 2008 7:23 PM

good catch. McCain can now run on Rove's brilliant '06 midterm strategy. We should be hearing "cut and run", and maybe a little "stay the course" soon.

Posted by john | April 4, 2008 7:35 PM

good catch. McCain can now run on Rove's brilliant '06 midterm strategy. We should be hearing "cut and run", and maybe a little "stay the course" soon.

Posted by john cmh | April 4, 2008 7:35 PM

THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!! FOR HILLARY!!!

Posted by idiotic | April 4, 2008 9:41 PM

"Is Rove behind McCain's tour"?
A better question is: "Hillary's BEHIND....
isn't this the biggest thing that no one is talking about"?

Posted by interferon | April 4, 2008 11:19 PM

You can't name a single dirty trick that Rove ever pulled ... and please link to a verifiable news source as proof ...

Jeff, Rove's been a slimeball since he got a bunch of homeless drunks to turn up at a rally for Alan Dixon in 1970

How about the 1986 Texas Governor's race? The push poll calls against Richards in 1994? Plame stands on it's own.

Learn to use google, man. Seriously. Just because you don't want to believe it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Posted by justinb | April 4, 2008 11:22 PM

JustinB:

Whoop de doo! That's the best you can do?

The Dems used more dirty tricks in the last two elections than those pitiful mentionings on Karl's alleged shennigans over the decades.

Poor homeless drunks being used as fronts...doesn't that seem more likely a time
honored favorite Dem election trick, along with that famous walking around funny money to buy minority votes.

And Plame..who? You mean the Wilsons and their 15 minutes of "fame" that they managed to stretch out to absurdity including the cover of prominent magazines with her wearing a scarf..great disguise Ms. Wilson if we didn't know how to look you up in public listings.

You need to take a break from googling, man.

Seriously.

Posted by AquariusStar | April 5, 2008 12:56 AM

Oh, no, the warm-and-fuzzy "peace" activists are sliming future President John McCain.

Do you think we'll ever see the warm-and-fuzzy "peace" activists be as angry at Islamic Jihadists or North Korea as they are at...gasp ! R-e-p-u-b-l-i-c-a-n-s ?!

Ha, ha, ha.

Posted by Mark Twain | April 5, 2008 2:18 AM

Save the hedge fund mamagers TAX RATE of 15%

Vote McCain for King

Posted by steve wells | April 5, 2008 8:08 AM

The McCain bio tour has been a clever snoozefest to ignore any real issues. The proud McCain military family of Mississippi -a bunch of slave-owning Confederate officers? Prep school honor chants? The good 'ole boy club at the Naval Academy? Who, except rich old white guys and the "I wish it were 1950 again" values voters of the Republican party relates to any of this boring blather?

This is a nice diversion from what McCain really stands for: tax cuts for the wealthy, gutting social security, no relief for health care expenses, more Iraq war, and more wars with Iran, Russia, China, North Korea and whoever else needs to be democratized. While the Democrats are actually talking about these issues in detail (agree or disagree with their plans), McCain is doddering down memory lane blathering about his junior high school teacher. The Dems have been talking about important issues for months and the Repubs haven't (unless you count that important Repub debate question "do you believe in evolution?"). 81% of Americans say the country is on the wrong track and the Repub candidate is talking about his glorious past of carousing at naval ports.

Perhaps this is good strategery, ignore the real issues and focus the country on crap no one cares about because your real policies won't do a thing to get us back on the right track.

Posted by SMN | April 5, 2008 11:19 AM

Shorter AquariusStar: Look, over there, it's a blimp!

For some reason, I thought we were talking about Rove, not Democrats. The simple truth is the guy is a shitbag. Whoever else might also be a shitbag isn't particularly relevant to the conversation.

Posted by justinb | April 5, 2008 2:28 PM

I'm a democrat and will not support Mc Cain, but I must say that I think he is ethical enough not to allow himself to be 'managed' to the extent that Bush did. Rove's evil only shines when he has a 'blank canvas' to work with, or should I say (in the case of bush) an empty suit?

Posted by Lynne B | April 5, 2008 5:21 PM

Should anyone point out that McCain was called the PUNK in high school? That he graduated last in his class in Annapolis? That he bombed civilian targets in North Vietnam. That he spent several years imprisoned for arial bombing?

I know he is called a hero by many for having been tortured by the people he killed and maimed with the bombs he dropped. I figure it was simple payback. I am sure he was treated better than many because the Vietnamese knew who was father was.

He did show some moxie till Karl Rove deepsixed his run for office in 2000 by a whisper campaign that falsely claimed he fathered a black child out of wedlock. When turned tail and publicly kissed Bush's butt after that scurrilous lie, I lost any desire to ever see his face again.

I can't imagine anyone who has watched his cowardly behavior since 2000 keeping a straight face when McCain is being called a hero. No hero claims to be against torture unless Bush wants torture to be legal if the CIA does it.

Posted by Kal Palnicki | April 5, 2008 6:17 PM

McCAIN...GOOD GREIF

Posted by ROBERT | April 5, 2008 6:53 PM

McCAIN...GOOD GREIF

Posted by ROBERT | April 5, 2008 6:53 PM

LMAO!!! LFC, you're a joke. Liberals can't stand Karl Rove simply because he keeps kicking their sanctified, holier-than-thou a$$es. While I don't approve of some of the things Rove has done, he isn't the hell-spawn of Satan. He's a political genius and McCain would be stupid not to solicit his advice.

Also, regardless of what Rove may or may not have done, to the best of my knowledge Rove has yet to be caught on tape accusing the government of inventing AIDS and shrieking "God damn America!!!", unlike the advisor of another presidential candidates.

Posted by Dan | April 5, 2008 7:45 PM

Liberals can't stand Karl Rove simply because he keeps kicking their sanctified, holier-than-thou a$$es. While I don't approve of some of the things Rove has done, he isn't the hell-spawn of Satan. He's a political genius and McCain would be stupid not to solicit his advice.

Yeah, like in 2006. I admit he ginned up the anti-gay and anti-brown people pretty good in '04, and he's pretty good at gutterball. Maybe you haven't noticed, but the voters are catching on, and they're kind of sick of it.

Rove has yet to be caught on tape accusing the government of inventing AIDS and shrieking "God damn America!!!"

Look, another blimp!!

Posted by justinb | April 5, 2008 8:45 PM

Oh, and I'll add that Rove is an excellent short term strategist, but building a coalition that's going to ensure you're in the minority in 10 years and likely to stay that way short of a major party realignment isn't very smart.

The rich people + bigots + bible thumpers don't stand a chance against the demography in this country, and trying to fix the demographic problem will rip the GOP apart - see 2006, as well as the earlier days of the GOP primary.

He can't see the forest for the trees, let alone put together a "permanent majority"

Posted by justinb | April 5, 2008 8:48 PM

Liberals can't stand Karl Rove simply because he keeps kicking their sanctified, holier-than-thou a$$es.

Too funny. You used dollar signs, as in the kind that the GOP (pre-Rove) used to rake in at every election. Sooooooo, how are those donations going? Not counting the money embezzled from the NRCC, of course.

Posted by lfc | April 5, 2008 9:01 PM

Justin: I beg to differ.

The continual failure to look at the dirty tricks of your own group rather than on the evil genius (concocted in your own minds) of Karl Rove is what is so disconcerting about Dem partisans. The nameless hacks that cranked out the ugly insinuations of the dragging death of a young black man to Bush in the 2000 election, along with the last minute drunk driving conviction that was part of sealed records makes Rovian tactics pale in comparison.

Your side knows how to sling the mud every bit as heartily as you say Republicans do. Democrats whining about Republican tactics while playing the victim doesn't wash when you examine your own dirty tricks division.

Sorry ....But I think this whole thread is an extension of the personalization and demonization of political opponents that Dems seemed determined to continue.

Now with Obama and Clinton going at it you can see how you'll even eat your own.

You guys play hardball against your own team. Karl Rove himself couldn't have devised a better plot for this election then seeing both Democratic candidates going at it to the bitter end.

I'm sure some overly imaginative mind can find the link to Rove.

Keep your eye on the blimp!

Posted by AquariusStar | April 5, 2008 11:21 PM

"Liberals can't stand Karl Rove"

Sorry I don't like him as a person and don't care what political, ethnic, religious flavor he comes in. He has no integrity.

Posted by rporter314 | April 6, 2008 11:21 AM

This Sunday NY Times cover story doesn't hurt: "Vocal on War, McCain Is Silent on Son’s Service".

Posted by Fred | April 7, 2008 12:47 AM