(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 just said he has respect for Obama and his Community Service. I do too!!
But, Palin put down community service in her speech at the RNC.
What is this?
i am still not impresse dwith Mccain..
LOL great response to Bay , Roland.
It's not really that hard. It's called work, taking care of your family, and supporting your friends. It is time we stop expecting the gov't to do it. It is time to be Americans and not republicans and democrats. Just Americans -
McCain clearly utters the phrase: "Frankly, I'm divorced from the day to day challenges of Americans." That's a pretty bad slip-up that seems like a line to be used by Democrats in future ads to show how long McCain has been in Washington to really bring change that Americans are seeking.
McCain shows he is human, strong and humble. We need a leader who has our interests at heart. I salute you, Mr. McCain.
There seem to be a contradiction in terms between Senator McCain and that of his VP on community service. While McCain eulogizes it, his VP ridiculed the other day. And without a rebuke from McCain.
I hope after now he will ask Pallin to apologize to Senator Obama.
The only CHANGE we can expect from McCain is "Change of Mind"
FLIP-FLOP
Did you not hear McCain say Palin's comment was in response to Obama belittling her Mayor service and not acknowlging her as a Gov.
I just want to know why is it that Obama gets harder questions ask than Mccain all the time and why doesn't the media hit him harder than Obama?
Senator McCain is coming across insincere to me, he is contradicting everything that he has approved of in the past several weeks. He is running a negative campaign and is now trying to act as though this hasn't occurred and if it has it is because Obama did not agree to his invitation. What is up with that logic?
Roland, that was hilarious but sooooo true!
I think it is amazing that McCain is praising community organizers, while his commercials and his party bash them.
McCain said when he chose to go to washington he got away from day to day american problems. Isnt he now standing on he will listen to day to day problems. Seems like he is not sure here..
Uh-oh. I think McCain just made a mistake saying it was "easy for him to go to Washington and divorce himself from everyday concerns of people" or something like that when explaining his respect for our country's mayors. I think he meant that being a mayor is a difficult job but it came off wrong. I can see Obama's camp going crazy with this one....and take it out of context.
Hmmmm....doesn't it look like McCain wasn't given the questions in advance like at Rick Warren's church?
Will he just answer the questions? Oh, I forgot he didn't get a chance to rehearse.
You're getting your wish, Mr. Martin!
But listen to this response–oh, it would be so much different if only Obama had consented to town hall meetings! It's all HIS fault. Yeah, whatever.
Now bring up the "actual responsibilities" line.
It's sad that this country has yet to move past the racial barriers that keep us standing still.
we still see eachother as 'white' or 'black', rather than us all being americans!
we have come too far as a nation to refuse to vote for a man- because of his race, or because he may have a different culture than you!
it is foolish for the McCain camp to think that women are such idiots that we would swing to his ticket beacuse he put an unknown woman on it (is this his idea of change??? HA!)
And for those women who are thinking about not supporting Obama, and decide to support McCain because of Palin- YOU REALLY NEED TO DO SOME SELF SEARCHING!
IF YOU WERE SIMPLY VOTING FOR HILLARY CLINTON BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN, THAT SHOWS HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE, AND HOW MUCH YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT THIS COUNTRY AND THE STATE THAT WE ARE IN, AND THAT THE ONLY THING YOU INTEND TO DO, IS MAKE THIS AN HISTORIC TIME FOR WOMEN.
WHICH IS SAYING THAT YOU DO NOT CARE IF TOMORROW MORNING YOU WAKE UP JOBLESS OR NOT!!
Roland,
I'm not sure you would know straight talk if you saw it. If you can't see there is success in Iraq. Seems to me all the new services have stopped leading off with the good news of the success..
he supports service but wont put any money into it. because rich people do not want to serve so they wont need to be incented
Mike, I don't agree with what you said. Why should colleges have to allow ROTC in their schools?
No, Tim.
Obama is at Hooters mixing with the white, blue collar crowd that everyone says he has trouble connecting with.
McCain is dodging question after question. He has no idea about the value of non-military service to the lives of Americans.
So because Senator Obama would not agree to McCains Town hall meetings McCain decided to take this campaign into the MUD? Wow thats the kind of Leadership we need. What a Foolish thing to say. Just more of the same behavior we have seen from the current administration.
HAHA Roland, That would have been a great question. He would have had to lie about that one