It was Mitt Romney's turn in the Meet the Press studio on Saturday, an appearance that can be dangerous for anyone, especially a candidate whose current positions do not jive with previous statements. Last week, Rudy Giuliani faced a withering assault on several fronts, from his business dealings to his personal life. Giuliani survived, if only barely.

Romney, though, did much better. He dealt easily with host Tim Russert's questions on his Mormon faith, even tearing up at one point when discussing the Church's decision to reverse a century-old ban on African American participation in church rituals. He handled the inevitable flip-flop questions as well as one could expect, too.

Romney's one major stumble: He claimed he had the support of the National Rifle Association in his 2002 campaign for governor. Spokesman Kevin Madden had to clarify that Romney did not win the group's backing, and his Democratic opponent even won a better rating than Romney did that year.

Other takeaways from the appearance:

Jonathan Martin: "Romney held his own in his first exposure to the Russert treatment. ... Romney's appearance certainly didn't lessen the flip-flop narrative, but he didn't appear to have made it appreciably worse."

New York Times: "Romney spent almost the entire hour of the interview parrying questions, first about his faith, and then about his past positions. ... Romney appeared to trip up when asked if he believed life begins at conception."

Washington Post: "Maybe it was the pressure of the moment. Being under the Tim Russert spotlight can get to anyone. Under Russert's grilling about guns on this morning's 'Meet the Press,' ... Romney claimed an endorsement he'd never won."

USA Today: "Pressed about whether he's flip-flopped on many issues, Romney made the case that he's learned from experience."