Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has offered Shirley Sherrod an apology and a promotion after his department forced her to resign over a video clip, first released by Andrew Breitbart’s biggovernment.com, that appeared to show her telling about not giving a white farmer her “full” help in terms of aid distribution.
Problem is, the incident she was relating happened 24 years ago when she was not a government employee. Worse, the video clip removes substantial context. The full video makes it clear that she was telling of learning from her mistakes.
Much of the right side of the blogosphere jumped all over this. They’re going to take some flack, and it’s deserved. This was classic “fire, ready, aim.” I’m heartened to look around and see some contrition. It’ll recover. No widespread long-term harm done.
Andrew Breitbart, however, may have damaged himself irreparably. He should know as well as anyone that the rules are different for conservative media and liberal media, as in the former gets exactly zero do-overs. A compelling narrative is worse than worthless if it can’t withstand any scrutiny, and clearly this shouldn’t have gotten out of the conference room, however plausible the 10,000-feet view of it was.
(Jonah Goldberg says Breitbart says he received the video edited. I suppose that’s small mitigation.)
Incidentally, the rationalization over there comically misses the point. That piece should contain much more about prizing integrity and improving in the future, and much less defiance. Not helping, folks. Not helping.
One thing it does get right is that this is another screw-up for the Obama administration. Did you know Sherrod was made to pull her car over and resign by cell phone? The USDA official who called her said he was acting on pressure from the White House.
Actually I’m satisfied that Vilsack has been genuinely apologetic. Now we just need Barack Obama to display some of that grace and humility he’s so known for and apologize to Sherrod as well.
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To quote C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity…the chapter on forgiveness…topic: how to tell if you’re heart is in the “love the sinner, ,hate the sin” mode)
“The real test is this. Suppose one reads a story of filthy atrocities in the paper. Then suppose that something turns up suggesting that the story might not be quite ture, or not quite so bad as it was made out. Is one’s first feeling, “Thank God, even they aren’t quite so bad as that,” or is it a feeling of disappointment, and even a determination to cling to the first story for the sheer pleasure of thinking your enemies as bad as possible? If it is the second then it is, I am afraid, the first step in a process which, if followed to the end, will make us into devils. You see, one is beginning to wish that black was a little blacker. If we give that wish its head, later on we shall wish to see grey as black, and then to see white itself as black. Finally, we shall insist on seeing everything – God and our friends and ourselves included – as bad, and not be able to stop doing it: we shall be fixed for ever in a universe of pure hatred.”
I owe Ms. Sherrod an apology.
Rush has dug in beyond all reason. Sherrod herself is screwing up as rapidly as she can, yanking it waaaaaaaay too far the other way. Did you see what she said about Breitbart today?
No…I was off Friday & ran a BUNCH of errands…didn’t have much computer/TV time.