Andrew Breitbart: Sherrod "Sees Things Through a Racial Prism"

On Thursday's "Washington Unplugged," conservative commentator and editor Andrew Breitbart spoke with CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante about the firestorm of criticism over the controversial video posted on his BigGovernment.com site that cost Shirley Sherrod her job at the Department of Agriculture.

Breitbart denied that he maliciously edited the video featured on his site."We did not selectively edit it," he said.

Breitbart sought to frame the issue in the context of a battle between the media and the Tea Party. He cited the media's coverage the NAACP resolution condemning "extremist elements within the Tea Party."

"If Tea Party is going to be held to the lowest possible standard that a sign in Ft. Worth may or may not be planted by infiltrators means that the entire Tea Party has to apologize for itself then I'm holding the media and the NAACP accountable for the standards that they set," he said.

Breitbart also compared Sherrod's redemption to the film "Crash" about racial and social tensions in Los Angeles.

He said: "I don't think Sherrod wants America to watch the full video because if you ever saw the movie 'Crash,' an important character in that movie, the racist cop, played by Matt Dillon, in which he sexual assaults a black woman in front of her husband as a means to humiliate him. He's blatantly racist, but at the end of the movie he saves that woman when she's dying in a car crash. When you listen to Shirley, she admits that she sees things in black and white, she says it, but she also did the right thing as it relates to the farmer. "

Breitbart continued, "I believe that Shirley sees things through a racial prism. She has the right to do that. I'm sorry that the White House threw her under the bus. I did not ask for her to be investigated. I did not ask for her to be fired."

But Breitbart concluded that the problem lies squarely with the "mainstream media."

"I am fighting back against the malicious alliance between the NAACP and the media to try to destroy the Tea Party based upon the false charges of racism," he said.

Watch "Washington Unplugged "above, which also features a roundtable discussion on the Sherrod saga with TheLoop21.com's Keli Goff and Washington Times' Gregory Kane . Plus CBS News' Christina Ruffini on North Korea's failed health care system.

More Coverage of Shirley Sherrod:

Shirley Sherrod "Very Pleased" After Phone Call with Obama
Sherrod: I'd Consider Legal Action against Breitbart
Sherrod Story Shows Ugly Side of 24-Hour News
Vilsack: I Will Have to Live With My Mistake
Breitbart: Video Was Meant to Target the NAACP
Case Exposes Raw Wounds About Race
More Coverage in Hotsheet Blog

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

[slyhorse]

I think his 15 minutes is running out
Now he s lashing out like a cornered liar he is.

[apostasyusa]

I've seen the video and absolutely disagree with the cursory interpretations of the crazy Republican Fox News lackeys. Don't bother trying to change my mind about it, call me all the names you want.

I gave up on you people during the Bush days.

There really is no such thing as a conservative. I understand the frustrations of everyone who wanted Obama to fix the world in 365 days, but I do NOT understand how anyone could be so illogical to think that Obama is an evil person bent on the destruction of this country.

There are people who vote for people that call themselves conservatives but really what you get is a bunch of theocrats who try to consolidate money and power to an elite group of ideological zealots who are willing to commit intense acts of hypocrisy simply to feel as if they have "won", like it's all some kind of game.

These toe tapping tools will stop at nothing to force your children learn myth in science classrooms such as ID or that the Earth was made 6000 years ago. These fake so called Republicans will vow that gays should not be able to live as non-gays do in our country, while simultaneously being gay in the closet. These people like to hate things. Fighting is what feels normal. These people are angry and angry people are easily exploited.

If you prefer a government that governs the least that's exactly what you are going to get. I don't believe there can be an intelligent debate with toe tapping Republican propagandist hacks. Hacks don't want to talk, they just want to be mad about something and government is an easy target. During the Bush days, the hacks were mad at Saddam, for the wrong reasons but it didn't stop them from exploiting the people into supporting a two trillion dollar tax payer funded unjust war did it? 4000 Americans and 100,000 (and counting) innocent Iraqi civilians died. Republican leaders said, "hey be mad at this", now they are saying, "hey be mad at this".

The moronic fatalistic tragedians of our nation fall in line.

[freeinaustin]

All of you people should give up the left right meme. Everyone agrees that progressivism is a corrupt and discredited ideology. The controllers want us to argue about race instead of focusing on the real issues. See infowars to learn more.

[Motorsheep]

Everyone agrees that the term "Everyone agrees" is a fallacious and manipulative assertion...

[Nicole_S]

To claim that "everybody agrees" about any such thing is beyond ridiculous. Even after the thorough disgrace of the Bush administration and its corrupt Republican congress, not even everybody agrees about the fact that conservatism in America is failed beyond redemption and is only being touted by liars and fools.

[thebob-bob]

Breitbart has lost all credibility and revealed himself as a partisan hack, not a journalist. A Rightwing propagandist, taking video snippets out of context and distorting them to score political points. It's what Republicans do.

Fear, Hatred, Distortion, Distraction and Division. It's all epublicans have to offer America.

No thanks. Been there, done that.

[r_blauvelt]

So, by "thebob-bob's" standard, CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC, FOX, PBS, and etc. are all partisan hacks. Showing full context for any news item is a practical impossibility, given the limits of time and page-space. Like it or not, objectivity in reporting and journalism is a fiction. As soon as a news outlet makes the decision to report (or not report) on a particular story, they have made a subjective, political decision.

[mpmyers]

thebob-bob Breitbart has lost zero credibility from anyone who actually understands what he says. All news media only shows some of the the video. What he showed demonstrated the point he was trying to make to any thinking person. It was only those on the left who showed division, fear, hatred and distortion. They are the ones who fired the woman without EVEN INVESTIGATING so as to know the facts. This is not even deniable.

[manoabob]

The self-righteous rants and the incivility of both the right and the left here are frightening. Unfortunately, the nature of this forum lends itself to an anonymity where each side seems to only listen to the voices in their own heads (or only those they agree with). Just as there are folks on both the right and left who view the world through the prism of race, there are those who only view the world through the prism of right and left, who do not make any attempt at disciplined inquiry and analysis.

As to Breitbart, one does not to be of the right or left to discern that perhaps he is not a credible witness to truth. In tracking the story over time, it is evident that his rationale for the release of the tape shifts. In the beginning it was Sherrod's racism, then morphed to the reaction of the audience, which he claimed betrayed the racism of the NAACP. Unfortunately, contrary to his claim of evidence, when we view the full tape there is no such audience reaction.

[nyctuber1]

what a complete and utter moron. Let him keep talking though, he's thoroughly exposing the Right Wing for what it is.

[soetoro]

Wonder how many white farmers LOST their farms BECAUSE of this black racist?? Oh,I forgot blacks say they can't be racist!!!!

[nyctuber1]

Her father was killed by the KKK. She overcame that though, and helped white farmers, who have now come to her defense. Think you'd be as magnanimous or evolved?

[atlbobr]

If you listen to the entire speech (ie, not Breitbart's "selective edit") she says the Spooners (the white farmer and his wife) were the first whites to ever ask for her help. There is also a huge settlement due to black farmers from the USDA due to decades-old blatant discrimination against blacks in loans, subsidies, etc. Something tells me "black-on-white" discrimination by the very few black USDA officials isn't nearly the problem of "white-on-black" discrimination that resulted in the USDA settling with black farmers.

It's interesting that she learned from her experience (that it isn't race that is dividing us but class and status) but ignorant white trash still views things out of a racial prism....thinking they have more in common with the fat cats of The Establishment since they are "white like them". Sorry pal, those rich folks laugh at you more than they do the Black or Latino guy trying to eek out a meager life in "Corporatist America". You are the dumb one thinking that because you're "white" you're "the same as those rich folks".

LOL

[ldberrywine]

Andrews big mistake was playing beat the clock. Gotta get the damming story out for the prime time viewers. It was refreshing to let Breitbart go on and on in the interview by Bill Plant. It's rare you get to hear someone speak as fast as they can because they think they will be interrupted by the host. So, when Bill cut to the chase by asking the question, why didn't you verify the story, Breitbart was only able to mumble time. What seemed to be a good story turned out to making Breitbart the story. Still, Ms. Sherrod is not innocent in all this, in her case it is sometimes better to let sleeping dog's lie.

[shaun25--2008]

This is all a distraction. The media wants us to forget the racist comments of NAACP and the racist in the Oval Office. This woman is not an innocent race-neutral lamb, but who cares???!!! She is some random lady from some random government bureaucracy.

Don't look at the man behind the curtain... no don't look!!!

[jookyg2]

Breitbart: "I did not ask for her to be investigated. I did not ask for her to be fired."

Give me a break, jerk wad. What did you expect would happen? You're trying to counter NAACP claims of racism by smearing a black woman. Typical conservative hypocrite. You're in fine company with the likes of Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, et al...more jerks who are only interested in ratings through inflammatory and biased reporting, and don't care about the lives they wreck to get there.

If the Tea Party doesn't have racist elements that need to be addressed, as the NAACP suggests, how do you explain Mark Williams and his Tea Party Express, huh?????????