On Friday, the three major presidential candidates gave speeches marking the fortieth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Senator John McCain attended a memorial at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, the site of King’s assassination. McCain was jeered as he apologized for his longtime opposition to creating a federal holiday in honor of King. In 1983, McCain was one of seventy-seven Republican members of Congress to oppose the King holiday. In 1987, McCain publicly supported the governor of Arizona’s decision to repeal the state’s recognition of King.