Were they too stupid to at least check in to what they thought they knew v. trusting lame rightwing email forwards? Are they so afraid of the idiot teabaggers and wingnuts that they can't make an informed, rational, low-level personnel decision to support one of their own champions in the fight against poverty and racism?

That's weak, and it gives the morons trying to dumb us all back to the 19th century too much credit.

Why is that explanation weak? It seems pretty obvious to me that's exactly what happened. Some mid-level political appointee at USDA or operative in the White House saw the reports, panicked, then percolated their panic up the chain of command. Higher level people (maybe even Obama himself, although I'm not sure he was even involved in this particular debacle) amplified the panic, since they were too busy to fact-check some random right-wing pinhead's blog post.

as pointed out by Rachael Maddow and Eugene Robinson...to make whites fear blacks.

The "all blacks hate whites and are evil and of course that includes President Obama" line from the right wing.

It's divisive fearmongering and manipulation.

Of course other right wingers will believe it.
We have to hope that independents and rational people won't believe it and won't be influenced by it in the midterm elections.

Once again I am confounded as to why Shepard Smith is on FOX. He refused to run this stuff on his program, and explained why today: he didn't trust the source.

If only Vilsack had been as smart.

My Journalism Professor at Roane State back in the day taught me that you never trust a 15 second bit of audio or video tape. If a reporter cant get access the entire video or audio ... The source has to be trusted... No one looked good in this. My wife said it best, Shirley Sherrod had 23 years of excellent service in her behalf. Could she have not gotten 23 hours of investigation in her behalf before getting fired?

To paraphrase The Dave Clark Five..this was "bad all over".

Obama's folks messed up on this one.

But they got right in the end.

I see this a bit differently in that the Obama administration missed a huge gift on a platter with an apple in its mouth.

This was the chance for an all out frontal attack on Fox news for carrying the message of the right wing. This was the moment they should have been waiting for. They could have gone hyperballistic at Fox News and the Tea Party movement for being anti American for using false news and doctored video in their attempt to harm this wonderful woman and by inference, the President of the United States. This is the right's normal tactic, remember the doctored Acorn videos? How much news did the actual doctoring make?

Remember that when Dan Rather investigated documents related to George Bush's military records the focus was shifted to whether the records were "doctored" even though the secretary that was in charge of the office at the time Bush was in the Guard said they were accurate. It cost Rather his career. Here's the chance to go after Fox and their servitude.

Try something like: "Fox News hates Democracy so much that they will use doctored video in an attempt to harm the President and protect the obviously racist and right wing Tea Party."

I see this a bit differently in that the Obama administration missed a huge gift on a platter with an apple in its mouth.

True, but they first have to stop being afraid of the right-wing noise machine.

My biggest disappointment with the Obama Administration has been this dangerous notion that, deep down, these people love America enough to put aside their hatred and prejudice and work to make the country a better place for all of us.

That disappointment began with his invitation to a bigot to open the inaugural ceremony and it continues today with his timidity in the face of Fox and Followers.

It's completely appalling that she was fired when a simple phone call to her would have signaled that things weren't as they appeared. The really sad thing to me if you actually watch her speech is that she is so clearly a thoughtful, dedicated person -- exactly the kind of person you want in a position like that. And that the actual message of her talk (that poverty and disenfranchisement cross racial lines) is just the opposite of the way she was slanderously portrayed. By the end of the story, she's the one STICKING UP for the white farmer and helping him keep his farm. The whole thing is just so head-shaking. And it's dangerous, because damn, they can do that kind of thing to just about anybody, unless somebody starts applying some kind of accountability.

(and good for anderson cooper for calling out breitbart)

will keep on happening until and unless real, true, passionate journalists who value telling the unvarnished and un-spun truth get really angry about being tarred with the same brush as those so-called journalists on Fox and other networks.

Edward R. Murrow wouldn't cross the street to spit on a "journalist" from Fox News in this day and age, but he sure would call them out on stories such as this over and over and over again until said "journalist" switched to a new line of work altogether...one far removed from reporting and news and publication of any sort.

There seems to be no end to what Fox will do to destroy this presidency. And, for some reason, they always walk away unscathed. The White House remains silent.

Ms.Sherrod has indicated that she is thinking about suing Fox and Breitbart for what they have done to her good name. I hope she does...and soon!

Shepard Smith should leave Fox and apply for a job with a real news organization. He didn't drink the Cool Aid and should be congratulated. Every now and then he gets it right.

Hope everyone had a chance to watch Rachel Maddow call Bill O'Idiot out for his part in this. She really made some excellent points.