Obama and McCain Speak at Forum about Voluntary Service.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain spoke at a forum sponsored by TIME magazine and ServiceNation hosted by Columbia University. The forum was designed to not be a debate but rather a series of questions and answers about volunteerism is the US. John McCain took the first few questions. He was asked why the memory of September 11, 2001 was fading in the minds of Americans. His answer was “We needed at that time [September 11, 2001] to take advantage of the unity in the United States of America,” he said. “We weren’t Republicans on September 11. We weren’t Democrats. We were Americans". He went on to say that Americans do not trust their congress anymore and that they want change just like both candidates do. McCain was then asked about how the federal government relates to private, public and military service. McCain answered by giving credence to the Peacecorps and AmeriCorps and saying that the government should not infiltrate private volunteer services but should give more honor to them. McCain said that he wants to shy away from making the government bigger. Then McCain took a tougher question about his running mate's comments against Obama's volunteer service as a community organizer. McCain said that Obama made it hard when Obama turned down the town hall meetings in which McCain wanted to have both participate. McCain finished by saying that Obama's service was "outstanding". Obama fielded the same questions next. Obama said “America is the greatest country on earth but it didn’t just happen on its own,” and he stated that not always do just the rich people give service to the government. Obama stated that on Friday he plans to start a volunteer program for youth who want to do what he did in Chicago. Obama went on say that “When a hurricane strikes as it did with Katrina, we have to have a FEMA that works which means we should be encouraging young people to get involved as civil servants” but “That doesn’t crowd out the Red Cross or thousands of church groups that went down there [to New Orleans],” he continued. “The Peacecorps does not crowd out need for [other] service overseas.” The forum was held on September 11th in the evening after John McCain spoke in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in the morning and both candidates went to Ground Zero in New York City later. Information borrowed from http://www.youdecide2008.com/2008/09/11/video-mccain-obama-at-the-911-presidential-forum/