Obama, McCain to make stops on TV shows

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., waves as he boards the plane at the airport in Medford, Ore., Saturday, March 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON—Democratic Sen. Barack Obama plans to chat with the women of ABC's "The View" on Friday, his first visit to the daytime talk show as a presidential candidate.

Republican rival John McCain hopes to share a few jokes on late-night television when he appears on CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman" on April 1 -- April Fool's Day.

Gabbing with Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd is one way for Obama to make inroads with female voters. His rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, has held the edge with women, capturing 51 percent of the female vote to 45 percent for Obama, according to exit polls for The Associated Press of the competitive Democratic primaries.

Clinton has fared better with white and Hispanic women; Obama has done exceedingly well with black women.

Obama last visited "The View" in November 2004 when he promoted his memoir "Dreams from My Father," then in paperback.

The Illinois senator had been scheduled to be a guest last September but canceled because of Senate votes.

McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, returns to Letterman's show after more than a year. The Arizona senator disclosed his intentions to run for president during an appearance on the "Late Show" on Feb. 28, 2007.