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NAPLES — Lely High School students hoping to get a better picture of the presidential candidates may have walked away from a political forum with one thing Monday afternoon: John McCain and Barack Obama are polar opposites.

In fact, that seemed to be the only thing representatives from both campaigns agreed on at the school’s 2008 Presidential Information Forum.

The program was primarily for juniors and seniors. Media Specialist Marybeth Hamlin, who coordinated the event, told the seniors in the audience that there were 43 days left until the election and this was their chance to get more information.

“I charge you to exercise your right to vote,” she said.

The McCain campaign was represented by Naples resident Wayne Smith, a volunteer for the campaign who was held in the same prisoner of war camp in Vietnam with McCain.

The Obama campaign was represented by Michael Hardy, a 2007 graduate of the University of Iowa who works for the campaign as the field organizer for Collier County.

Both campaigns started by explaining their candidate’s platform to the students.

Hardy, who admitted to the students that he voted for President Bush in 2004 before backing Obama, spoke about Obama’s desire to enact change and support working families. He showed the students a video that included information on Obama’s upbringing, his education and his entrance into politics.

Smith spoke about the differences between the candidates, saying McCain supported a strong national defense, capitalism over socialism and mentioned the candidate’s plans to stimulate the economy.

“This election is very vital, it is very critical,” he said. “It is very easy for you to make up your mind. The candidates are poles apart in ideology.”

The representatives for both campaigns took questions from the audience, with a majority wanting to hear from Smith.

One student asked Smith why McCain wanted to continue to keep troops in Iraq when Obama said he wanted to get the troops out.

“In Iraq, there are enemies in there who want to kill you,” he said. “If you tell a country we are going to leave in eight months or two years, the terrorists hibernate until you are gone, but they aren’t stopped. John McCain is not about to pull out and create instability in the world.”

Lely freshman Ednise Sainval, 14, said she wanted to know why McCain seemed to be advocating for change, but wanted to continue things like tax cuts that were started by Bush.

“It doesn’t make sense to me,” she said. “I think the change is telling people they are going to have to make a sacrifice. What you are saying isn’t change.”

Smith said McCain isn’t considered a “maverick” for nothing. He said McCain has been Bush’s biggest adversary. He said McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would bring about the change and eliminate the waste in Washington.

Ednise said after the forum that she wasn’t convinced.

After the forum, Smith said he knew he would have a tough time explaining the qualities of his candidate to an audience that overwhelmingly favored Obama. But, he said that he hoped the students walked away with a better idea about who McCain is and what he stands for.

Per Obama campaign policy, Hardy was not allowed to be quoted for print.

After the presentation, representatives from the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office were on hand to register seniors to vote during lunch.

Hamlin said she hoped Lely students would register before the Oct. 6 deadline.