Pandering 101:

African-American women serenaded Republican presidential candidate John McCain with gospel songs on Monday as he began a tour of economically ailing "forgotten places in America."

Trying to appeal to independent voters who could be crucial in the November election, McCain spent the day in some of the poorest areas of Alabama, arguing that the United States needs nonpartisan ways to attack economic dislocation.

If John McCain knows what's good for him, he didn't kick off his tour of poor black neighborhoods and Civil Rights landmarks in Alabama with a speech about how he voted against MLK Day.