Liveblogging ServiceNation's Presidential Forum: John McCain

I'm here at ServiceNation's Presidential Forum on the importance of community and civic service.

ServiceNation Summit, Sept. 11-12 in New York city, will bring together 500 leaders of all ages and from every sector of American life --from universities and foundations, to business and politics --to celebrate the power and potential of citizen service, and lay out a bold policy blueprint for addressing America's greatest social challenges through expanded opportunities for volunteer and national service.

The Forum is being broadcast live on PBS, so I am not going to give you the blow by blow. What I am going to give you is my rapid impression of the candidates.

When asked how to make sure people don't forget September 11, he said that commemoration is important but also service and sacrifice.

One of the points the organizers of this event have made is that John McCain and Barack Obama both have served our country; they've just done it in different ways.

For McCain, government is about protecting people and keeping them safe. The private sector, including "faith-based organizations," are there to take care of communities.

He believes there are enough volunteers in the country. That America is great for its volunteerism. That contrary to what Judy Woodruff had asserted, most volunteers are well-to-do.

He wouldn't force companies to provide paid-leave for people who want to do community or national service. He would encourage it but not make it public policy.

John McCain is calling out Columbia University for not allowing the ROTC. This is in response of Judy bringing out statistics about how under-educated and under-skilled some of the military is.

Why wouldn't have we have a blend of compulsory community and military service in this country? He doesn't believe that it should be compulsory and that there are programs already working like the PeaceCorps and AmeriCorps. He doesn't believe that service has to be run always by the government.

The question of the night : What about Palin's comment about "community service?" It's tough business. He skirts the answer and says we need to end partisanship. Yet says the tone of this campaign would have been completely different had Obama accepted to appear on Town Halls.

Government can't do it all. Volunteerism starts at the grassroots level.

He believes the US should that foreign countries that do not like the United States should.

He believes we should send PeaceCorps people to countries "that do not like us." Do not give then aid but give them Americans so they can see the good we can do. We also should be opening our arms to people from other countries so they can see how great a nation we have.

McCain is passionate about the greatness of the United States. He thinks we're not going to have social strife as whites become the minority. That's because this country is used to immigrants.

Liveblogging ServiceNation's Presidential Forum: John McCain

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