Tim Russert, has been tough, sometimes brutal on '08 presidential candidates and Senator Hillary Clinton's appearance on Meet The Press this morning was no exception. Russert began the interview with a story from a South Carolina newspaper dealing with race, and quoted black politicians and pundits who criticized her and Bill Clinton over what they perceived to be racial overtones toward Barack Obama.

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Forced to go on the defensive, Clinton was defiant, accusing Russert of not giving full quotes, and condemned the media for taking things she and her husband have said out of context. Given the framing of the questions, Hillary was cornered into clarifying her previous statements about Martin Luther King Jr. and defend her record on civil rights. Clinton held her own and was given ample time to defend herself and draw comparisons between her campaign and Barack Obama's, but this probably wasn't the way she wanted to start this interview.

John Amato: Emailer Andrew sent in this TNR piece which takes a quick look at the historical record of the civil rights movement in the 60's.