Obama Blames Media For His Administration's Firing Of Shirley Sherrod

President Obama said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack erred in pushing out Shirley Sherrod over allegations of racism that later proved unsubstantiated, but the real culprit, he told ABC News, was the media.

"He jumped the gun," Obama said of Vilsack, "partly because we now live in this media culture where something goes up on YouTube or a blog and everybody scrambles."

Obama's charge was broadcast by ABC News Thursday night, excerpted from a longer interview scheduled to run Friday on "Good Morning America."

"I've told my team and I told my agencies that we have to make sure that we're focusing on doing the right thing instead of what looks to be politically necessary at that very moment. We have to take our time and, and think these issues through," Obama said.

"If there's a lesson to be drawn from this episode," the President continued, it's to avoid "jumping to conclusions and pointing fingers at each other."

For her part, Sherrod blamed the White House for overreacting to criticism, whether that criticism is honest or not. "This administration is definitely too sensitive to what the right is saying," she told CBS News Thursday morning. "I definitely think the right has actually edited speeches that have been made to try and get their point over, when they know it's a lie."

Comments

[rak6748]

05:39 AM on 08/06/2010

Shirley Sherrod and her husband are unabashed race baiters. Her comments captured during her NAACP appearance proved that ('all who voted against the Healthcare takeover are racists', etc.) Here are some 'racial healing' comments from her husband.

Saint Shirley’s Husband Caught On Tape Pushing Black Separatism (Video):

http://www.sodahead.com/united-states/look-theres-moresaint-shirleys-husband-caught-on-tape-pushing-black-separatism-video/blog-386801/

The Other Side of Shirley Sherrod:

http://www.counterpunch.org/wilkins08022010.html

[rak6748]

05:29 AM on 08/06/2010

The Other Side of Shirley Sherrod

http://www.counterpunch.org/wilkins08022010.html

[Totto]

12:12 PM on 07/30/2010

From the "get go" Fox News trumpeted the Shirley Sherrod story as FACT. Now they've been caught in a vicious lie. If she and her attorneys want to expose the right-wing disinformation machine, they will start with the Breitbart/Fox relationship. Expose them for the liars and propagandists they are!

[Jonas Grumby]

06:22 PM on 07/27/2010

Why will this man not take responsibility for anything? It is always someone else's fault.

A leader would acknowledge the mistake, take responsibility and move on. It is truly sad that this man has absolutely no leadership skills.

[Voltairine]

03:30 PM on 07/27/2010

2,050,000 hits on Google for the phrase "Obama blames" - classic.

[AVAgainstFascism]

10:28 PM on 07/27/2010

Annoyingly unsurprising.

[ibivi]

07:21 AM on 07/27/2010

Mr President, with all due respect, you got suckered. Plain and simple. The White House acted on false information without checking. No excuses can change that.

[mmorgann]

02:25 AM on 07/27/2010

Don't give the media all the credit. The firing of Sherrod was a team effort between the lies of the media and the fear & incompetence of the Obama administration. How can Obama effectively govern if he quakes in fear every time Fox News lies about his administration.

[hotrod51]

11:20 PM on 07/26/2010

I'm sure he will clear up everything during his appearance on "The View".

[Totto]

11:52 AM on 07/30/2010

Gee, SIX tr0//z in a row!

[IFany]

10:19 PM on 07/26/2010

Fox News lies, right wing posters lie, th e rethuglican party are liars, it's inherent in their party, republicanism should be classified as a mental illness, look at their post, read the twist and turns they use as rational thought, their denials of the obvious, like children lying in the face of the truth, It's gotten to the point of derangement. The ends justify the means, is a immoral argument, and they have sunken to depth of immorality not worthy of a twenty-first century political party. They are dangerous, if they tell you anything, then they will do anything, they cannot be trusted

[Dosadi]

07:10 PM on 07/26/2010

There is an investigation going on about where the Mel Gibson tapes came from. Why is there no investigation into where the Bretbart tapes came from. Do I smell collusion?

[georgieboyme]

01:33 PM on 07/26/2010

These types of negative misleading headlines against Obama seem to be the norm here lately. I wonder what kind of money is exchanging hands here to make this happen.

[darkday]

01:13 PM on 07/26/2010

I've been on vacation all week and I refused to go on the internet or read the paper. Can someone fill me in on what he's talking about (very briefly because I'm too lazy to read a lot). Who is Shirley Sherrod and what did she not do wrong?

[darkday]

01:10 PM on 07/26/2010

He's blaming the media but more specifically, the internet.

[jean22]

11:32 AM on 07/26/2010

HP I'm waiting for the headline about the lack of journalistic integrity in our media. And a full page investigation of Breitbart and how he successfully pulled the same stunt with Acorn.

[Okieborn]

10:55 AM on 07/26/2010

.Mr. President, it had to be your final say about her firing.
Maybe you sir let the press rule your decision.