Yesterday Shirley Sherrod got her overdue apology from Robert Gibbs on behalf of the administration and personally from Tom Vilsack in a press conference.
At the press conference, Vilsack told reporters that he had apologized to Sherrod for the pain and discomfort her family has experienced, and allowed her to vent her feelings. She was, he said, “extraordinarily gracious” while he accepted responsibility for the circumstances. He told the press that he asked her for personal forgiveness and she had give it to him.
I would like to praise the administration for correcting their mistake and addressing it publicly. They made a mistake but admitted it. President Obama also called Ms. Sherrod personally and talked to her. That’s so refreshing compared to the previous administration. I just hope that the administration and the media has learned that the rightwing media, and Andrew Breitbart in particular, are not trustworthy sources. Hopefully they’ll wait to get all the information next time before acting.
Ms. Sherrod says she’s not sure whether she will accept her new job. I hope she has a lot more opportunities, perhaps as an inspirational speaker. She’s also considering legal action:
Speaking on CBS’ Early Show, Sherrod said that while she hasn’t actively talked about suing Andrew Breitbart, she “would definitely consider it.”
Sherrod said that Breitbart’s intentions were obvious – but misguided.
“As much as he’s saying it was about the NAACP, he had to know that it was about me,” Sherrod said. “He was willing to destroy me to get to what he thought — to try to destroy the NAACP.”
“He had to know what he was doing,” she added. “I’m certain he didn’t think the other side of the story would come out, but he knew he was misrepresenting the facts.”
Sherrod also said that Breitbart had not apologized to her.
Sherrod also said that Breitbart had not apologized to her. Of course he hasn’t. He’s busy trying to cover his own ass.