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The debate for president that took place in Nashville, TN this week was many things, from boring to aggressive. When the topic of health care and insurance was presented, the candidates had interestingly different things to talk about.

NBC News' Tom Brokaw was the moderator that evening. He posed the question to both candidates as to whether health care was a right, privilege or responsibility. John McCain was up first. McCain responded that health care was a responsibility.

This was not a surprising response, seeing as McCain's reform plan includes giving the consumer more health care options (like the individual health insurance tax credit) and encouraging more competition in the private health insurance market (by permitting Americans to buy plans across state lines.)

Barack Obama's answer was different. Obama replied that health care was a right. This answer was also not surprising, since he believes that all Americans should have access to health care and posess health insurance. Obama likes the idea of universal coverage, but does not propose universal health care.

So on one hand, Senator McCain says that health care should be in the hands of us consumers. We should be responsible for our own health care and health insurance. Our take on McCain's answer is that he believes health insurance is a commodity, or product. On the other, Senator Obama thinks health insurance isn't a commodity, but a basic right. But his critics are fast to accuse the Illinois Senator of trying to take a back-door route to universal health care, or "socialized medicine" as they like to negatively label it.