Preview of Republican CNN/YouTube Debate Questions: There are Some Good Ones!

With the Republican CNN/YouTube debate just two days away, I decided to poke around YouTube and see what kinds of questions people would be asking. I'm a big fan of the format, where actual U.S. citizens get to ask the questions via YouTube videos, as opposed to moderators asking a set of canned questions. In the Democratic CNN/YouTube debate it led to slightly more heartfelt answers, and I'm hoping this Wednesday will be the same for the Republican presidential candidates.

Whiling perusing the possible questions (only 40 of the over 3,000 questions submitted will make it to the debate), I was pleasantly surprised by how GOOD the questions were. They covered a wide range of issues, from healthcare to the environment, education to the war in Iraq, executive power to GLBT rights (you know I had to throw that in there). Below I've decided to highlight 7 of the questions I found particularly powerful to whet your palates for this week's debate.

1) The first comes from Tom of Delray Beach, Florida, who asked about Peak Oil. He wants to know if the candidates have the courage to ween America off of foreign oil, and to confront the truth about Peak Oil. The video can be found here.

2) The next one comes from a retired Brigadier General with over 43 years of military service. He also happens to be an openly gay man. His question to the candidates is why they believe the men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. I really hope this question gets chosen! The video can be found here.

3) The third question, by Nathan from Texas, asks candidates how they reconcile their positions of limited government domestically with big government abroad. I think this is an excellent question! The video can be found here.

4) Rebecca from Des Moines, Iowa posed a very interesting question about international aid. She mentions that in 2004, the U.S. was praised for its help after the tsunami in South Asia. She then asks what candidates would do about the "silent tsunami" occurring in Africa, where 28,000 children die each day from preventable diseases. The video can be found here.

5) A great question was posed by Jolene from Michigan, where she asks the candidates where they need to develop as leaders. I think having the ability to lead and inspire is critical to becoming president. This question aims to take focus off of the usual issues, and drills down to what really could make or break the next president. The video can be found here.

6) A Republican debate would not be complete without a question about taxes. Here is a great one regarding the "Fair Tax" from Nathan at the University of Hawaii. The video can be found here.

7) The final question comes from Jeremy of Washington, DC. It's a very interesting and brilliant spin on the usual question about marriage equality. Instead of taking a confrontational approach to the question, Jeremy asks the candidates if they have any friends or family who happen to be gay or lesbian. He then asks the candidates to explain to them why they shouldn't be entitled to the same rights and responsibilities as their heterosexual peers. The video can be found here.

Above was just a sampling of the many great questions out there, so I definitely encourage you to take a look for yourself. It will be interesting to see how the candidates answer the questions, and if they delve deeper than their standard talking points. I'm looking forward to seeing how citizen questions mix up the debate scene!

To check out the debate for yourself, tune into CNN at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 28. If you find any other great questions, please leave me a comment as I'd love to listen to some more!