Here's what happened:

If you're not familiar with the Shirley Sherrod story, MeMeMeMeMe's recommended diary explains what's going on. Until Monday, Sherrod was the rural development director for the US Department of Agriculture in Georgia. Andrew Breitbart released a heavily edited video purporting to show Sherrod saying that 24 years ago she refused to help a farmer because he was white. It turns out that Breitbart twisted Sherrod's words; Sherrod was actually telling a story designed to illustrate why all forms of racism are wrong and describing how she overcame racism in her life. Indeed, she not only helped the farmer, but according to the farmer's wife, Sherrod saved the farm.

Despite the fact that Sherrod did nothing wrong—in fact, did everything right—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack fired her after Breitbart's video was released. As you can see in Ben Smith's article, the White House is trying to simultaneously support Vilsack's position and deny responsibility for it. Obviously, Vilsack fired her out of the misguided belief that Breitbart had turned her into a political liability. But not only is that immoral, it's stupid; the backlash against the unjustified dismissal of Shirley Sherrod will dwarf whatever teabagging nonsense Breitbart could have drummed up.

While getting a haircut I watched Vilsack explaining on the teevee that Sherrod had to be fired because, well, because it's Sherrod's fault that Breitbart could do what he did: take quotes out of context and create the impression that Sherrod is a raving anti-white bigot. Which she's not. But, hey, she's still to blame for Breitbart's actions—possibly criminal (here's hoping she sues)—because she's the one who went and said something that could be twisted and used against her, says Vilsack.

So here's the new rule: never say anything in public that can be made to look bad through a little selective editing or you'll be fired.

That's setting the bar awfully high for all future federal political appointees. If someone in the Obama administration doesn't show some balls/ovaries and reappoint this woman to her job ASAP, it's going to be open season on all Obama's political appointees from here on out.