During the three presidential debates this fall, both John McCain and Barack Obama opened by thanking their university hosts. If not for their locations, it's likely one would not have heard the words "college," "university," or "higher education" even uttered in the debates. Indeed, it wasn't until the final debate that Senator McCain mentioned the word "college." Senator Obama didn't score much better. According to transcripts, he said "college" three times in each of the first two debates, usually in passing reference to concerns about affordability. It wasn't until the last question of the final debate that the two major-party candidates fielded a question that focused squarely on education policy. That's when the debate's moderator, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, asked whether it poses a national-security threat that the U.S. trails many nations in students' abilities to compete in mathematics and science. Senator Obama responded first, pitching his plan to give college students up to $4,000 for tuition in exchange for community service. Senator McCain urged changes in the student-loan programs to raise how much students can borrow. Despite those lofty statements about the importance of education, trying to pin either candidate down on details, has been nearly impossible.