by David Nitkin
Republican John McCain’s campaign moves into a new gear next week, with a series of speeches in six places the Arizona senator has lived and worked designed to highlight the values that have influenced his life.
The tour will include two stops in the Washington area: on Tuesday, he’ll speak at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., from which he graduated. On Wednesday, he’ll be at Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. McCain is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, where he famously finished near the bottom of his class as his reputation as a maverick began to emerge.
McCain will also visit Meridian, Mississippi, where an airfield is named for his grandfather; Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida, where he trained as a pilot and was stationed; and Prescott, Arizona.
Expect talks that remind voters of McCain’s experiences as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, and of the sacrifices sometimes needed to preserve and defend the country.
McCain will be telling voters of the “aspects of his personal history he will use to guide him going forward,” campaign spokesman Jeff Sadowsky said.
The tour illustrates further the luxury that McCain is enjoying this spring: As Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton duke it out with negative, the certain Republican nominee can turn to his stirring biography and positive personal history to build support. Here’s the full schedule of the McCain “Service to America Tour” as released by his campaign:
Monday, March 31, 2008
MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Speech
WHEN: Monday, March 31, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. CST
Press Set Up Time: 7:45 a.m. CST
WHERE: Mississippi State University
Riley Center
2200 Fifth Street
Meridian, Mississippi 39301
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Town Hall Meeting
WHEN: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 9:15 a.m. EST
WHERE: Episcopal High School
Filippin Field House
3900 Braddock Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22312
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Speech
WHEN: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 8:00 a.m. EST
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WHERE: Navy and Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Superintendents Pavilion
304 Farragut Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Speech
WHEN: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 3:45 p.m. CST
Press Set Up Time: 2:45 p.m. CST
WHERE: Pensacola Junior College
Lou Ross Center
1000 College Boulevard
Pensacola, Florida 32504
Thursday, April 3, 2008
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Speech
WHEN: Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. EST
Press Set Up Time: 7:45 a.m. EST
WHERE: Cecil Field
FCCJ Aviation Center of Excellence
Aviation Hangar 14
13510 Aerospace Way
Jacksonville, Florida 32221
Saturday, April 5, 2008
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA
WHO: John McCain
WHAT: Speech
WHEN: Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. PST
Press Set Up Time: 9:00 a.m. PST
WHERE: Yavapai County Courthouse Steps
120 South Cortez Street
Prescott, Arizona 86303