Here is part of a great article written by The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes, an outstanding writer and journalist. Hayes lays out what John McCain plans to do with his campaign in the weeks ahead:

So while McCain's effort will begin to take on the qualities of a real general election campaign, he intends to preserve much of the insurgent character that helped him get this far. Either way, it will be unconventional and, at the beginning, nonideological.

After a quick "thank you" tour of New Hampshire, McCain plans to kick off the new phase of the campaign by not campaigning at all. At least not overtly. Later this month, he will spend more than a week overseas, with stops in Europe and the Middle East. His advisers say that while McCain is going chiefly to assess progress in these areas, he will also reinforce an important campaign message as the Obama-Clinton fight continues. "While those two are throwing deck chairs at each other, he'll look like the president," says a senior adviser to McCain.

When he returns, McCain will deliver what one adviser calls a "significant national security address," talking specifically about the future of the war in Iraq, the importance of a stable Iraq to U.S. policy in the region, and more broadly, how a McCain administration would win the struggle against radical Islamic extremism.

After that, McCain will begin a cross-country tour emphasizing his life story. His advisers believe that while most Americans have a vague sense that McCain served his country in the military and in political life, they don't actually know his story. This trip--the "Service to America" tour--is intended to fill out that narrative. It will feature stops in cities and towns that have somehow shaped his life. Among them: McCain Field in Mississippi; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class; Pensacola, Florida, where he trained at the Pensacola Naval Air Station; and Jacksonville, Florida, where he lived upon returning from his time as a POW in Vietnam. At each stop, the campaign will emphasize one aspect of McCain's character and talk about why it will be important in the White House.

In the months ahead, as he gives definition to his general election campaign, McCain will spend a good chunk of his time visiting places "where Republicans are not often seen," says an adviser. "Inner cities, poor rural communities, places left behind." He will speak to concerns about the economy and unveil an "empowerment" agenda designed to serve as a contrast to "the discredited policies of the 1960s and 1970s."

When he returns, McCain will deliver what one adviser calls a "significant national security address," talking specifically about the future of the war in Iraq, the importance of a stable Iraq to U.S. policy in the region, and more broadly, how a McCain administration would win the struggle against radical Islamic extremism.

After that, McCain will begin a cross-country tour emphasizing his life story. His advisers believe that while most Americans have a vague sense that McCain served his country in the military and in political life, they don't actually know his story. This trip--the "Service to America" tour--is intended to fill out that narrative. It will feature stops in cities and towns that have somehow shaped his life. Among them: McCain Field in Mississippi; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class; Pensacola, Florida, where he trained at the Pensacola Naval Air Station; and Jacksonville, Florida, where he lived upon returning from his time as a POW in Vietnam. At each stop, the campaign will emphasize one aspect of McCain's character and talk about why it will be important in the White House.

In the months ahead, as he gives definition to his general election campaign, McCain will spend a good chunk of his time visiting places "where Republicans are not often seen," says an adviser. "Inner cities, poor rural communities, places left behind." He will speak to concerns about the economy and unveil an "empowerment" agenda designed to serve as a
contrast to "the discredited policies of the 1960s and 1970s."

Not surprisingly, Jack Kemp likes the idea. "I would expect John to do a tour like that," says Kemp, who is advising McCain. "When he came to the House in 1982, he was a strong supporter of enterprise zones. And as a senator from Arizona, he has done a lot for Native Americans, Latinos, Hispanics. His stance on immigration was by far the most positive in the GOP primaries. He's comfortable with people who are not WASPy Republicans, not country club Republicans, and that's what makes some of our friends on the right very nervous. He can reach out to Reagan Democrats, independents, and people of color."

This plan was hatched before Hillary Clinton's successful night last Tuesday, when a McCain-Obama contest looked likely. Obama has struggled to win votes from what pollsters describe as "down-market" voters, and McCain advisers are confident their candidate can pick some of them up. Even if Clinton is the nominee, McCain's outreach to these voters could help him appeal to her main constituency, women.

McCain's general election campaign will be unconventional in two other aspects, as well. He will continue to provide reporters with virtually limitless opportunities to ask him questions in sessions on his campaign bus and in almost daily media availabilities. And most of his public events will be town halls, not speeches, something that will provide a stark contrast to the tightly controlled campaign of either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

The practical reason for this is obvious: He needs the "free media" coverage to offset what will be a huge disadvantage in paid media such as TV and radio ads. But McCain also enjoys these interactions with reporters and journalists. He says he needs the intellectual stimulation in order to keep the long days of the campaign from getting boring or repetitive. . .