Former Ag Secretary Ed Schafer On USDA Scandal: Issue Would Have Been Settled By The President
Former North Dakota Governor and Bush administration Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer gave an interview to Fox News Special Report tonight about the scandal surrounding comments, and the resignation, of USDA employee Shirley Sherrod.
His point: The issue would have gone to the President.
All around the media the headline is that Sherrod resigned. The truth is that Obama fired her (though they’re denying it now), andthat’s an important point now that it appears as though there was a bit of a rush to judgment by the Obama administrationabout Sherrod’s comments. Specifically, that her point was to illustrate how her attitude had changed from “white vs. black” to “poor vs. rich.”
Which still isn’t a great attitude, to my mind, but it’s certainly an improvement over making decisions based on skin color.
Update: Obama is putting current Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack entirely on the hook about the decision to can Sherrod:
(CNN) – President Obama was briefed after Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack decided to seek Shirley Sherrod’s resignation and fully supports that decision, a White House official said Tuesday.
Schafer says the decision would have gone to the President. Yet the Obama administration is saying that the President wasn’t in on this decision.
Do you believe them? Remember, these are the same people who told us they that they wouldn’t have lobbyists in their administration and wouldn’t raise taxes on people making less than $250,000/year and that Obamacare wouldn’t add to the national debt.
Tags: Barack Obama, department of agriculture, Ed Schafer, shirley sherrod
