COLLEGE STATION (October 16, 2009)--Speaking at a community service forum Friday evening on the Texas A&M University campus, President Barack Obama said there is a lot government can't and shouldn't do and that's where active, engaged citizens including young people have a role to play.

He said government can build the best schools, but can't run the PTA.

Mr. Obama signed legislation in April tripling the size of the AmeriCorps community service program.

He also launched a "United We Serve" campaign that ended with a national day of service on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Obama appeared with former President George H.W. Bush, who launched the Thousand Points of Light volunteer service movement 20 years ago.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who served as Texas A&M’s president before agreeing to take over the reins at the Pentagon during the Bush administration, and who continues to serve under Obama, also joined the former president.

Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, who graduated from Texas A&M, was also on hand, Friday.

The invitation-only audience in the university’s Rudder Auditorium gave Obama a warm welcome, while outside several hundred protesters gathered at Texas A&M’s Spence Park.

The "Hands off Texas" rally drew people from across the state, including Georgetown, Plano and San Antonio.

They were protesting Mr. Obama's policies.

Many carried signs with messages opposing the President's views on healthcare, taxes and socialism.

Meanwhile former President George H.W. Bush, who invited Mr. Obama to speak, said he dislikes what he calls the "ugliness" the president has faced since taking office.

But he said he thinks it's no worse than what his son endured as president, and he rejected arguments that the criticism is based on Obama being black.

The elder Bush, who turned 85 in June, said presidents throughout history have suffered at the hands of critics.