Alessandra Stanley Monday morning quarterbacks the Sunday morning face-off: Russert v. Stephanopoulos. (oh, and Obama and Clinton, too)

Talk shows, even the more serious news programs, are never really about talk; they are about image and demeanor. Together, "Meet the Press" and its rival "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" provided an arresting tableau of the reversal of fortunes in the Democratic race. Mrs. Clinton was forceful, confident and at times even frisky...Mr. Obama, usually the one to see the humor in politics, instead looked grave and dispirited.

The anchors, on the other hand, did not reverse roles: as usual, Mr. Russert came out ahead in that Sunday talk-show contest. Mrs. Clinton gave ABC a more vivid and dynamic show, but it came at Mr. Stephanopoulos's expense. Mrs. Clinton seemed to relish the opportunity to undercut him, a former adviser to her husband, with needling jokes and alpha-candidate body blocks.

Mr. Russert never ceded control of his hourlong interview, but he also failed to get a provocative sound bite from his guest.

And, perhaps trying to calm the critics, Sen. Clinton differentiated adviser Stephanopoulos from moderator Stephanopoulos:

"Now, you remember this, because George did work in that '92 campaign, and George and I actually were against Nafta," she said sweetly, addressing the audience. "I'm talking about him in his previous life, before he was an objective journalist and didn't have opinions about such matters."