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."

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"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?