It was blatantly obvious that the top Republican presidential contenders were absent from the Tavis Smiley-moderated All-American Presidential Forum on PBS Thursday night. It was obvious when Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," noted the absence in his opening remarks. It was obvious when Smiley noted the lecterns left empty because Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson chose not to show.

Most obvious, however, was the opportunity they missed—an opportunity to show they care for more than their base voting bloc.

(See also: Who Cares About Tavis Smiley? Top GOP Prez Candidates Diss 'Customers' of Color)

A popular assumption is that McCain, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson skipped the Republican All-American Presidential Forum because their conservative viewpoints would not be welcomed. From the start of the debate, however, which was held at historically black Morgan State University, it was clear they missed an opportunity to pay homage to and therefore be a part of black achievement. They missed an opportunity to show they are leaders willing to meet with folks different from themselves. And they missed an opportunity to speak to black voters and shape the perception they hold beyond the rhetoric of their Democratic opponents.

Smiley's first question asked the Republican candidates why they chose to attend and what they thought about their fellow GOP contenders' absence. All of the candidates took the opportunity to say the absences were deplorable.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback scolded their fellow absent Republicans the most. "I want to be president of the United States, not the Republican [party] ... I'm embarrassed," said Huckabee. Brownback added, "I apologize for the candidates not here. It's bad for our party."

In total, six of the 10 Republican contenders for president appeared at the All-American Presidential Forum, and they often received applause. In addition to Huckabee and Brownback, the attendees included California Rep. Duncan Hunter, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and former Ambassador Alan Keyes, who is black and has the distinction of being the only non-white-male Republican candidate.

The candidates were asked ten questions that ranged from the legacy they would leave for black Americans to solving issues surrounding undocumented workers to unemployment in the black community to healthcare disparities. They were also asked whether they would support U.S. action in Darfur and how they would end the Iraq war. Generally, the candidates did not placate the audience, which was predominantly black, nor did they condescend. That the audience at Morgan State and quite possibly watching on TV was not filled with die-hard Republicans, and that their answers would be reported to the GOP faithful, forced the candidates to explain their beliefs in "conservative" solutions with little race baiting. For example, Hunter, when answering the question about the legacy he would leave for black Americans as a Republican president, noted that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed with greater support from Republican legislators than those who were Democrats.

The forum's last question asked the candidates if they thought the Supreme Court was wrong when it overturned voluntary school-integration programs in two public-school districts in June. (See also: The End of an Era? Supreme Court Deals Blow to School Integration)

Unfortunately, the answers were cut short due to time, and only Brownback, Tancredo and Hunter were able to respond. Tancredo said charter schools were the answer, while Brownback said he believed schools should be able to voluntarily integrate their student bodies. Hunter said government mandates, such as busing, should not be used to integrate schools. Schools should reflect the population surrounding them, he said.

To stem the tide of undocumented workers entering the country, most of the candidates advocated enforcing the current laws. When talking about the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the country, Tancredo supported penalizing employers over "rounding them up." Brownback said he would not support an immigration bill that provides a path to citizenship, and Paul advocated ending the "welfare" that attracts undocumented workers, such as "free healthcare."

And while most Democratic candidates are stumping for a non-private healthcare system, the Republican candidates supported "bringing back the family doctor." Hunter said he would support a tax-exempt status for neighborhood doctors. Keyes said he would support attracting businesses to black and Latino communities that could afford to provide healthcare to employees. Brownback and Tancredo suggested increasing the access to health-savings accounts, which allow participants to invest pre-tax dollars into accounts that are to be used for healthcare purposes.

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