Service: a corps campaign issue

PRESIDENTIAL candidates know the value of volunteers. Visit any of the campaign headquarters in New Hampshire, or call on the phone, and you will likely be greeted not by a six-figure consultant, but by a young idealist who believes his or her candidate is the best hope for the country's future, and is giving time and effort to further that cause.

Now it is time for the candidates to put that knowledge to use not just for their personal ambitions, but for the country.

National service has been championed by both parties for years, but has achieved only a small fraction of its potential. Next week, AmeriCorps is expected to swear in its 500,000th member nationwide, a substantial number, but far short of what should be expected over the 14 years of its existence.

All of the presidential candidates will soon be asked to sign a pledge to more than double the size of AmeriCorps, from some 70,000 in a given year now to at least 170,000 by 2010. The effort is being coordinated by a new group, ServeNext.org, with the support of many advocates of public service. A unanimous or near-unanimous response from the candidates would help bridge the partisanship that divides American politics today, and inject an optimistic note into the campaign.

Some of those running have strong records on the issue. Among Republicans, Senator John McCain has sponsored legislation since 2001. The current version would add 25,000 new members to AmeriCorps every year, cumulatively. McCain has at times flirted with supporting a more universal program, saying that civilian or military service should be "a rite of passage for our nation's youth."

Mitt Romney has excellent credentials, having been a key original backer of Boston's City Year program. He also helped rally his fellow Republican governors three years ago when AmeriCorps was threatened. But he did little with the issue as governor -- Deval Patrick did more in his first week when he set up his Commonwealth Corps program. And when Romney was asked whether he would raise the issue in his presidential campaign, he said, "I'll take a look."

Among Democrats, Senator Hillary Clinton supports the creation of a public service academy, similar to West Point and the other military academies.

Senator Chris Dodd has put special focus on opportunities for older Americans to serve, and on the Peace Corps, which he would like to see grow from its current 7,000 members to 100,000.

The last three presidents have all given strong rhetorical support for national service, but not enough slots. Current candidates should step up. Whether at City Year's annual convention next month in New Hampshire or elsewhere, they can drive home the point that service does not end on election day.