ServiceNation: Liveblogging Obama

9:26 Obama mentions veterans again. Why didn't the veteran, John McCain, not care enough about veterans to take note of them?

9:23 The screen is having trouble again.

9:20 Judy Woodruff is smart. She knows that, no matter what John McCain says, military recruitment and retention is not good. Barack Obama supported the new GI Bill that would help veterans get a college education. John McCain, who claims to be a big supporter of the troops?

He opposed it. No wonder many troops are supporting Barack Obama.

9:15 Obama's getting plenty of applause here. You'd almost think he's speaking to a friendly audience out here on the Steps.

9:11 Obama hasn't spent his life working for the government--he's spent his life working to make a difference.

9:09 Rick Stengel challenges Obama on whether unions are a roadblock. But unlike John McCain, Barack Obama, a former organizer, understands that community groups, including unions, work to serve their constituency and want to support positive, effective efforts. They're only an obstacle to bad plans.

9:04 Obama just mentioned his national service plan. You can read it here. (PDF). The audience here is eating it up.

9:00 Obama's laying out exactly what George Bush should have done after 9/11--end our support for foreign dictators and their Middle eastern oil. And he's getting cheers for it.

8:56 Obama clearly got the most cheers. Numerous people are taking photos of the screen, both with camera phones and standalone cameras. There's almost a strobe-light effect from all the camera flashes.

8:51 I think Obama just got more applause than McCain did during his entire appearance.

Just a note: If you're interested, here's Obama's plan for citizen service (PDF)