Firing at the USDA

"So Sage, what do you have to say about the firing of Shirley Sherrod, the USDA official let go for her video-taped racist remarks that, as it turns out, were not so racist after all?"

"First I've heard of it. I was on vacation. Was it in the New York Times? Did CBS cover it?"

OK, Andrew Breitbart screwed up. He was determined to respond aggressively to the repugnant and unsubstantiated charges of racism routinely leveled at Tea Party members by this Administration, by Democrats everywhere, by the Main Stream Media, and, most recently, by the NAACP. He thought he'd found a smoking gun that might level the playing field for a change. It backfired...sort of. (I know, I'm mixing metaphors, but I'm hot.)

He and conservatives everywhere who enthusiastically embraced this story as it was first reported should be duly chastened. This is NOT the kind of thing WE do. It IS the kind of thing THEY do. I'm not talking about fighting fire with fire. THAT we don't do enough of. I referring, rather, to the leveling of charges before we know all the facts. Innocent people, like Ms. Sherrod, often get hurt. THEY don't care. WE do.

As both sides in our ongoing political struggles were harmed in this episode, might it serve to motivate those inclined to routinely wield the charge of racism as a political weapon to disarm. Since the end of Jim Crow, absolutely no good has ever come of its use.

Finally, what does this say about the Obama Administration? Thin-skinned, knee-jerk, and amateurish come to mind. Not good qualities if you're trying to convince the public you're qualified to run, well, everything.

Now, touch gloves and return to your corners.