(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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i'm on the edge of my seat ,waiting for mccain's favorite cheerleading routine!
drill here, drill now,
suuuuurge, suuuurge,
drill here, drill now,
suuurge, suuuurge,
I believe this is very exciting, as a 21 year old college student, but as many of you are much wiser and well informed, can you please tell me what gives a 72 year old man who has been in Washington since 1982 the right to all of a sudden be an agent of change? Wouldn't the most organic method of change have to come from a new face? Sarah Palin may be change, but please explain to me how John McCain can use that mantra also?
Mccain,
When you have been a part of and supported the decisions
of this government for eight years and voted with them
90% of the time, how can we believe you now, since
running for president, realize we need change?
We here that line from McCain often, 'I've been there, done that, I know how to fix it." He has said it with the war, catching Osama Bin Laden, and now he's saying it about fixing Congress and Washington. If he knows how to do it then why doesn't he tell somebody?
Would The Real Mccain Please Stand Up!!
I am tired of hearing his Campaign Talking Points
McCain surely is running against Congress, which is what he had been doing in the decade between 1990 and 2000. It was when he accepted this nomination that he sold out to lobbyists and quaint ideals. We need to begin following an intelligent leader instead of shaping him/her into some impotent symbol
Is John McCain turning this talk about serving our country into a demand for military service? It seems like he would go as far as to demand it if needed.
I wish someone would ask McCain about the absentee ballot forms he is sending out right now, apparently mainly to Democratic voters.
Why would he wish to urge registered Democrat how important it is to vote? Why are these ballot requests (if the addressee chooses to return it) not going to the recipients local area, but someplace out of town? Do we have the beginning of fraud going on?
Nice to blame congress, they don't have an overriding majority. But clever, if not stale and trite. Bush, his policies and his 'ethics' will make history someday – the footnote will read, "Oft purported – Worst President EVER".
Give me a break!
McCain looks foolish, sounds senseless dim witted, and point blank, isn't right for this country!
McCain: We all need to serve our country. Eg, I need more bodies for the war against Iran and Russia I plan.
Perhaps experience would have given McCain an edge but to pull the "woman" card to mimick Sen. Clinton is totally absurd and is pure politics. McCain said he would rather win the war than win an election, how many of us believe that Palin was chosen based on "experience", "country first", "reform" or "CHANGE". I smell RAW POLITICS – the game to fool and ridicule the power of the AMERICAN PEOPLE.
I expected much more from McCain. Same ol', same ol' talking points.
Senator Mccain speaks about change. He talks about ethics and lobbiests. He was part of that problem. It's tough to take him serious about chnage when he has over 100 past or present lobbiests on his campaign staff. I even have trouble with his stand on Georgia.Not because it's the wrong thing to do, but because I don't know if he's really behind what he said about Georgia or because one his staff got paid 900k as a lobbiest for Georgia. You can't make change when your wrapped around the problem.
yes, i know everyone likes to jump on the bandwaggon now and say we shoulnd't have retaliated after 9/11 but thats not was everyone was saying on 9/12. History repeats itself. This attack on our country was no different than Pearl Harbor and we did the right thing by defending ourselves.
No, Obama is running against Washington. McCain wants us to believe that almost 30 years in Washington his is the magic fix all for all the problems there. "I know how to fix Washington." Yeah, cause you are one of the ones that broke it.
It must be tru that if you keep repeating something over and over again the people (who don't thing for themselves) begin to believe it. He said he changed Ethics Reform on The Hill. I think that was Barack. He has no shame in stealing everything Senator Obama has been campaigning on since day one. But Barack is the so called "empty suit". Change by McCain, oh brother.
Hmm "of course we have to expand the military"
We see "Russia invade a little country called Georgis"
Kinda like USA invading a little country call Iraq
I wonderif he even gives thought to his rhetoric anymore or if he just spouts the talking points that he has been programmed to say by his handlers??
Mccain has a history of agreeing with bush 90% of the time. Ask him why isnt our goverment helping Haiti. Cuba is even helping and they got hit too
One thing is for sure when McCain chose Palin he did not think of "COUNTRY FIRST" .
Question How will it work for him if he has done nothing to better anyone but him and people like him? I hope American people aren't that gullable!!
this military theme is not obama's strong suit..why did he agree to do this.. for obama to match mccain he'll have to go crazy
This is a serious question. I'm an Independent first time voter, and I am NOT in any way trying to bash McCain, and I'm seeking a genuine response. How can McCain talk about reforming our government when he is running such a nasty campaign involving Karl Rove and powerful lobbyists? I don't understand how he can be for both. Does anyone think he's serious about change and he's just being bullied by his campaign?
Why can't Palin give interviews and answer questions like other candidates? Why is she hiding?
Please ask Senator McCain why the RNC and his pick for VP have sneered at Senator Obama's own public service.