In his book, Herman Cain stated that the did not participate in the civil rights movement because he was a high school student at the time.

Lawrence O'Donnell interviewed Cain and asked about it. Cain said that if he had been in college he would have participated but it would not have been appropriate for a high school student to participate.

O'Donnell pointed out that Cain had already graduated high school and was enrolled in college at the height of the civil rights movement.

You can watch the video here:
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/lawrence-odonnell-calls-out-herman-cain-cl

Was it racist to ask Cain about his failure to participate in the civil rights movement? Should the same question be asked of all candidates of Cain's age, or did Cain have a higher obligation to participate than a young white person at the time? Or maybe it's fair game because Cain volunteered the issue in his book in a misleading way.