Politics | John McCain McCain Must Open Up to Win: Rove Too-private candidate is hurting himself, says Bush strategist By Rob Quinn Posted Apr 30, 2008 11:21 AM CDT Copied John McCain, speaks at a rally at the Virginia Aviation Museum, February 11, 2008. Behind him is an A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet like the one he was flying when shot down over Vietnam. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) For John McCain to win in November, he needs to let Americans know about McCain the man as well as McCain the candidate, Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal. The Bush campaign mastermind thinks the candidate's very private nature means not enough people are hearing about McCain's heroism as a Vietnam POW and his postwar life. Americans "need to learn about the moments in his life that shaped him," Rove writes. "Unless he opens up more, many voters will never know the experiences of his life that show his character, integrity, and essential decency." Read These Next Salesforce CEO's ICE joke leaves employees fuming. Elon Musk responds to the mass exodus at xAI. He evaded arrest for 16 years, but his luck ran out at the Olympics. She lost to her victim in court, then beat her on the Olympic slopes. Report an error