Tim Russert and John Edwards

John Edwards was Tim Russert's guest on Meet the Press this morning.

I didn't watch all of it, but I watched enough to see that Russert was not tossing softball questions at Edwards.

The way politicians and members of the media interact really has become odd.

Presidential politics in the 21st century is so strange. There's a lack of decorum.

RUSSERT: How did the Clintons screw us?

I don't know this as fact, but I would bet that during his decades on Meet the Press Lawrence Spivak never asked, "How did the ________ screw us?"

To be fair, Russert's question was based in a quote from David "Mudcat" Saunders, Edwards' campaign consultant.

From the Boston Globe:

Here's looking at you . . . or, at least, for you.

That's what John Edwards is doing as he takes his populist pitch to New Hampshire's North Country: embarking on a Bubba hunt.

To help, Edwards has rounded up Bob Jones, perhaps better known to TV viewers of a certain age as Cooter from "The Dukes of Hazzard," and the Bluegrass Brothers, who are cranking out some foot-tapping high harmonies.

If Cooter is leaning hard into his good ol' boy role, campaign consultant David "Mudcat"' Saunders is in full angry mode.

The official name of this campaign swing is "economic fairness for the North Country," but he and Cooter and the boys call it the " 'Let's help John Edwards screw those who screwed us tour,' " Mudcat says. Us being rural America.

And who would that be?

"Who screwed us?" he asks, voice rising in incredulity. "The Clintons screwed us." And, he adds, "Anybody that says different is delusional."

The Clintons did it with NAFTA, and the Bubbas know it, Mudcat says.

I know politics has always been rough and dirty, but now it's not behind the scenes ugly. It's right out there.

Another odd moment came when Russert spoke of Daily Kos.

In discussing John Edwards' decision to accept public funds, Russert cited the radical, far Left-wing website Daily Kos. According to Daily Kos, "this makes him a very dangerous candidate."

Russert talked as if the site has the same clout and meets the same journalistic standards as one of the country’s major publications, like the New York Times or the Washington Post.

Come to think of it, I guess Daily Kos is on par with those media outlets.

Bottom Line: It was a weird interview.