The Cedar Rapids Gazette ran a story about the new kind of activist taking shape this campaign seasaon - the bird-dogger who asks pointed questions of candidates at public forums. As a model, the paper picks Ask the Candidate activists who show up to events in their bright orange "I Caucus for Darfur" t-shirts and pose questions about Darfur to the candidates.

Today's young activists are a different breed. The article highlights smart techniques they learn for getting their questions heard, such as sitting up front, wearing bright t-shirts, and asking pointed questions that demand a solid response. Ask the Candidates activists aren't hesitating to take the lead and demand action.

Everything we do has a purpose," said Lauren Balog, 21, the Midwest outreach coordinator for STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition. "We're not our parents' activists. We're at a point where we're not just standing outside, yelling at the Capitol. We're walking into there in our suits and handing them legislation that they're passing."