This Is Your Life, John McCain

John McCain will take a tour of his own biographical highlights, reports USA Today. His campaign intends the “Service to America” tour of schools and military installations to help the candidate define his brand before the Democrats do—and help offset a significant fundraising disparity. He will visit places that have “played a significant role in shaping who I am today," he told potential donors.

The tactic, and McCain's ability to stay on message, may foreshadow the general election. Until and unless Democrats offer a "competing counternarrative,” says an expert in political psychology, the strategy may give the war-hero senator a head start in voters' minds. "We're trying to make sure the voters know he's offering a third Bush term,” said a Democratic spokesman.