Senator Barack Obama defended mailers sent out to Ohio voters last week on Hillary Clinton’s NAFTA and health care records, after Hillary Clinton scolded him for distributing them.

At an impromptu media availability in Columbus, Ohio, today, Mr. Obama called the mailers “accurate” and questioned Clinton’s tactics for her animated display this morning, since, he pointed out, the mailers were days if not weeks old. The frontrunner had not seen his rival’s fiery charges (capped off with a, “Shame on you, Barack Obama.”), but did laugh and say, “I hear it’s exciting.”

Here is what Obama said about the mailers and his response to Clinton’s claim that he pulled a page out of the Karl Rove playbook.

Obama’s media availability was scheduled shortly after a reporter shouted out a question on the issue as the candidate finished up a roundtable forum on healthcare. Walking out of the room, Obama said that the event was not a press conference. While the press filed and grumbled that the last press conference was 5 days before, Senator Obama did a series of interviews, including two with Entertainment Tonight and The Insider.

Moments later, staffers announced there would be an avail after all. Obama first recognized the reporter who regularly covers the candidate, with a smile. “I don’t know if I should be rewarding you for shouting out to me,” he said. “I’m just doing my job,” the reporter responded.

Let the questions begin.