(CNN) –On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama each take the stage to discuss service and civic engagement in a forum at Columbia University.
What do you think of their ideas? How does the role of service determine what kind of nation we live in? What does national service mean to you?
Along with CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, CNN Political Analyst Roland Martin, and Republican strategist Bay Buchanan, thousands of you weighed in.
Click "comments" below for a look at the entire conversation.
From CNN Politics
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McCain lying about expanding service organizations. he would veto it
Kayr
There is no draft.
No one is forced to join.
to say ONLY the poor serve is a slap in the face to those that serve
OK it is 8:45 and he has put me to sleep. I was looking forward to this all week, and he is just lulling me to sleep with all his slow speaking and double talking. I need him to pick up the pace.
Senator McCain is RIGHT Palin is VERY experienced with FIRING, if nothing ELSE................
He reminds me of an abusive partner, who hits on you when you and belittles you and then blame you
More Republican double-speak.
OMg, McCain didn't even answer. As a politician he is fantastic. As a "Straight Talk Express" engineer, I think he came up far short.
I understand what he is saying, but I know a LOT of young people would serve our country (in and out of uniform) if it meant they got to go to college. Most people can't afford to volunteer for free right now.
No, wrong. Mayors do not have the toughest job in America. A President of the United States does.
If he admire people that serve their community than why the community organizer jokes.
I think this forum is nonsense. He is blaming Obama for the tone of the campaign!! The tone is HIS RESPONSIBILITY!! Obama was not obligated to have his town hall forums to help him pay for his advertising. This is just wrong...... It is more of his meaningless rhetoric, sorry, I wanted to learn something new. where is the meat!!!
Policies aside, the point is that Obama is just not electable – an empty suit who can hardly be taken seriously. He did seem electable to some as long as he was a novelty and was running against Hillary but it could not go on for long. McCains pretentions to sell himself as something different from George W. have never been credible, so people had been looking for an excuse to not to have to support Obama –with Palin they have that excuse. Now Obama is doomed. And it s a pity. Could be another great comedian in the White House.
He comes off as such a hypocrite.
Roland are you shocked?
Sorry he had to say something good to get out of the jam.
Still I want to know how all this will be paid for. Still I see a great deal of tap dancing around too much.
He's babbling.
Why can't the govenment do it all, they are taking all my money in taxes........I am at the bottom...
Bay, McCain didn't get the message of change from the American people?! He got it from the Obama camp!
And when the American people responded, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney and all the other candidates tried to grab a hold of it, but Obama already had it.
If this was the record industry, they would call this sampling and McCain would have to pay royalties on using the hook for his campaign.
Well, so much for keeping politics out of it.
The claim, that somehow the tone would change if Obama accepted a town hall was just bunk and a cheapshot that wasnt even relevant. What a piece of garbage he has become
Just ask him anything about the economy and he will freeze up!!!!
How about the idea of laissez- faire economics?
Bay, I have to say that I disagree. We all know that he jumped onto the change bandwagon when he saw that Obama was succeeding with it. Choosing a complete outsider, in the way of national politics and foreign policy is dangerous for the country.
I believe that our "two-party" system of government has become dysfunctional. It is impossible to be elected President without pandering to extremists. It is time to consider a Parliamentary system where you not only have to build your coalition before you can get elected but the government can be "fired" at nearly any time and a new one formed in less time than even our primaries take.
The fact that a large percentage of our population can be convinced that Sara Palin is qualified to be President on day 1 should tell you that a large percentage of our population is gullible and that our system is broken.
Bay -
Are you watching the same thing I'm watching?
OK, McCain is growing on me. I think he did great on the last segment of questions. I like the move from politics to service.
i like seeing this conversation tonight i think if every day in politics was like today more people would want to get involved,
They are keeping Palin with McCain on the campaign trail – as your "news item states – so that reporters cannot interview her until Rove and Cheney tell her what to say................now tell the truth. You are not allowed to ask her questions – want to tell the public why???