Manchester – Were John McCain President over the last seven years, Donald Rumsfeld wouldn't have had the President's ear, federal spending wouldn't have mushroomed, and China would be shamed for not doing enough to stop genocide, the Arizona senator said last night.

Appearing before 240 Manchester-area college students, McCain took several questions about what he would have done differently from President Bush, the Republican who defeated McCain for his party's nomination in 2000 and went on to win the White House.

McCain said he has asked the administration to veto spending bills repeatedly.

"We came to power in 1994 to change government, and it changed us," McCain said, referring to the Republican sweep in Congress. McCain said he wouldn't have asked Americans to shop or travel after 9/11 as Bush did. He would have asked Americans to find a way to serve their country.

McCain said he would have done more than Bush to address the genocide in Darfur, and faulted China for blocking United Nations action because of oil deals with the Sudan. "I would shame the Chinese for their failure to help us in the United Nations Security Council," McCain said.

McCain, who is 71, spoke at the fieldhouse at Southern New Hampshire University before a technologically savvy crowd, nearly all of whom were too young to vote nearly eight years ago in the New Hampshire primary, which McCain won.

The event was the third MySpace-MTV Presidential Dialogue Series to take place this year, and the first to involve a Republican. It is the first to be broadcast simultaneously on MTV, MySpace.com, the Spanish translation Web site lavibra.com and on portable devices. An on-line poll provided feedback throughout the event and showed McCain gaining in popularity as the night went on.

In answering one question from a student, McCain told the crowd he supports tax deductions for college tuitions, ("We've got to do everything we can to make education affordable for all Americans,")

But when asked by a reporter later for information about the costs, McCain said he misunderstood the question. He does not support tax deductions for tuition, he said.

He said tax credits should be available for people who can't afford a college education, just as government scholarships are now available.

The questioner, Heather Hart, said she will graduate this spring with $70,000 in college loans. She is worried about interest rates, and she expects to work in retail, which she knows doesn't pay well.

Hart said his revision didn't change her impression of McCain. Even some funding would be helpful.

"I like him," she said, adding that she did not know a lot about him until the event.

McCain addressed two questions about global warming. The second was submitted via video when on-line monitor Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com said McCain didn't provide enough detail on the first.

McCain said he would expand nuclear power, fund research for items such as 200-mile car batteries, and hydrogen power.

He supports a cap-in-trade on greenhouse gases, but not a carbon tax. "That's an increase in your gas taxes," he said.

McCain is polling second in New Hampshire, behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He led former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the CNN-WMUR poll in mid-November, but the margin of error puts the two in a statistical dead heat.

But the only other candidate who received much mention last night was Ron Paul. McCain forcefully disagreed with the notion that Paul, who favors a withdrawal from Iraq, represents American servicemen and women.

Paul has received more campaign donations from military personnel than any other candidate, an IM questioner said.

"I know how the men and women in the military feel," McCain said. They are not fighting for oil, or empire or illegally, as Paul claims. They are fighting to keep America safe, McCain said.

"Frankly, Congressman Paul is wrong. I don't care what his statistics are," McCain said.

McCain is in New Hampshire all week, with most of his scheduled appearances concentrated in population-heavy southern New Hampshire. He holds a town meeting today in Hooksett and makes an appearance with Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling tomorrow in Manchester.

Democrat John Edwards participated in an earlier MySpace-MTV forum at the University of New Hampshire. Sen. Barack Obama did so at Coe College in Iowa.