Hillary, Obama, and Martin Luther King

It's really incredible that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is figuring so prominently in the presidential election of 2008.

NEW YORK -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Sunday that Barack Obama's campaign had injected racial tension into the presidential contest, saying he had distorted for political gain her comments about Martin Luther King's role in the civil rights movement.

"This is an unfortunate story line the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully," the former first lady said in a spirited appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I don't think this campaign is about gender, and I sure hope it's not about race."

Clinton taped the show before appearances in South Carolina, whose Jan. 26 primary will be the first to include a significant representation of black voters. Blacks were 50 percent of primary voters in the state in 2004 and the number is expected to swell this time.

Both New York Sen. Clinton and her husband, the former president, have engaged in damage control this week after black leaders criticized their comments shortly before the New Hampshire primary last Tuesday.

The senator was quoted as saying King's dream of racial equality was realized only when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, while Bill Clinton said Illinois Sen. Obama was telling a "fairy tale" about his opposition to the Iraq war.

Former President Clinton has since appeared on several black radio programs to say he was referring to Obama's record on the Iraq war, not on his effort to become the nation's first black president.

At an awards dinner Sunday in Atlanta celebrating black achievement, Michelle Obama said her husband is the person America needs in the White House right now and was critical of anyone who would "dismiss this moment as an illusion, a fairy tale." He is the right candidate "not because of the color of his skin, but because of the quality and consistency of his character," she said.

As evidence the Obama campaign had pushed the story, Clinton advisers pointed to a memo written by an Obama staffer compiling examples of comments by Clinton and her surrogates that could be construed as racially insensitive. The memo later surfaced on a handful of political Web sites.

Obama later called Clinton's accusations "ludicrous," and said he found Clinton's comments about King to be ill-advised and unfortunate.

"If Senator Clinton wants to be distracted by the sorts of political point-scoring that was evident today then that is going to be her prerogative," Obama said.

Another rival, John Edwards, added his voice to the chorus of criticism of Clinton's comments about King.

"I must say I was troubled recently to see a suggestion that real change that came not through the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King but through a Washington politician. I fundamentally disagree with that," Edwards told more than 200 people gathered at a predominantly black Baptist church in Sumter, S.C.

Again, I find myself in the odd position of coming to Hillary's defense.

She did not diss Martin Luther King and Bill did not mock Barack Obama's run for the presidency as a joke.

It makes no sense that the first black President Bill would suddenly be rejected by African-Americans after years and years of support. Were they wrong about him all along? Did he fool them? Are Bill and Hillary really racially insensitive?

Simply put, Obama's campaign is playing the race card. Michelle Obama's comments attest to that. She chastises Hillary's campaigner Bill, making reference to his "fairy tale" comment. Then, she echoes Dr. King's words about people being judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.

I believe the Obama campaign is intentionally misinterpreting the statements made by the Clintons. They're pushing racial buttons. Rather than accepting the Clintons' explanations for their remarks, the Obamas have encouraged the race-baiting. They certainly haven't done anything to defuse the racial tension.

Barack and Michelle Obama and their supporters are exploiting race to score political points. Last week, Hillary exploited her gender to rally women to her side.

Are these games really what Dem voters want from their candidates?

Why not demand that candidates focus on the real issues facing the nation instead of engaging in finger-pointing and making silly accusations?

This is such a bizarre primary season.

After Iowa, Obama's coronation went into high gear. After New Hampshire, comeback kid Hillary surprised pollsters and political observers and knocked Obama out. Now, Obama's putting on the pressure, using his race to help establish himself as the frontrunner.

A president shouldn't be chosen on the basis of gender or race. It's the individual's qualities and abilities and positions on issues that matter.

Forty years after Dr. King's death, it seems his dream is still a dream.

People aren't defined by the content of their character. Race still matters. It's still used to divide Americans.

It's disgusting that the Dems, the ones claiming to be champions of minorities, are relying on race to achieve political goals.