Sherrod You Are

It was all going so well, too. Now I'm not so sure I accept the notion of Shirley Sherrod as absolute moral authority and authentic victim. Why? Well, consider these comments from an interview she did with Anderson Cooper of CNN (emphases mine):

Cooper: Do you think you've gotten past black versus white?

Sherrod: I know I've gotten past black versus white. He's (note: Breitbart) probably the person who's never gotten past it and never attempted to get past it so he can't see because he's never tried and because he hasn't he can't see what I've done to get past it and he's not interested in what I've done to get past it. I don't think he's interested in seeing anyone get past it because I think he'd like to get us stuck back in the times of slavery. That's where I think he'd like to see all black people end up again. And that's why I think he's so vicious.

Cooper: Do you think, do you think he's racist?

Sherrod: Yes I do. And I think that's why he's so vicious against a black president, you know. He would go after me, I don't think it was even the NAACP he was totally after, I think he was after a black president.

Cooper: So when he says this wasn't about you, that this was just about the NAACP and what he says is their racist or their bias, you say you don't buy that?

Sherrod: I don't buy it at all. What has he done to promote unity among the races? Tell me. Tell him to come forth and tell us what he's done. I haven't seen him do anything but try to divide us. You know. Where does he think this will take us? What does he think this will accomplish? I'd like to hear him answer that. I'd like him to show me how he's not a racist.

A couple of observations, if I may:

• If someone were truly past black and white, they would probably be a little more, shall we say, circumspect about throwing around accusations of racism, no?
• While he's at it, Andrew Breitbart really ought to show Shirley Sherrod that he's stopped beating his wife, too.
• I can understand the anger Shirley Sherrod likely feels about the manner in which she has become a household name. I also wish that Andrew Breitbart had been more careful, because he did cause damage to Sherrod, and to Breitbart's own cause. Neither of those factors justify calling someone a racist or asserting that Breitbart wants to bring black people back to slavery, now does it?