A federal appeals court upheld a federal district court’s rejection of a request to dismiss Shirley Sherrod’s defamation case against Breitbart, his aide Larry O’Connor and an unnamed defendant.
Andrew Breitbart was on Michael Savage’s show today, where he claimed that his own edited video of Shirley Sherrod is really a campaign by Barack Obama to destroy him. Breitbart said, “I believe that he is orchestrating the campaign to destroy me and my reputation.”
Fox News’ Brit Hume delivered a commentary on Special Report with Bret Baier, where demanded that the media apologize to Fox News for calling them racist. Fox wants an apology from the NAACP, Howard Dean, and Shirley Sherrod. Hume said, “You might think all this would be the stuff of further apologies.”
Today on ABC’s This Week, Sam Donaldson joined the growing media chorus telling President Obama to stand up to and take on Fox News. Donaldson said, “President Obama, don’t be afraid of them. Take them on, and let the people judge.”
Howard Dean was on Fox News Sunday this morning, where he blasted the network for what he called racist, phony, crap stories. Dean said, “I think Fox News did something that was absolutely racist…They have been pushing a theme of black racism with this phony Black Panther crap, and this business, and Sotomayor and all this other stuff.”
Last night Bill O’Reilly tried to take on Rachel Maddow criticism of Fox’s Shirley Sherrod story by boasting about FNC’s ratings. Maddow responded tonight by taking him apart, “You were trying to take the attention off me saying that your network Fox News continually crusades on flagrantly bogus stories designed to make White Americans fear Black Americans.”
On his radio show recently Glenn Beck claimed that the fake racism charges trumped up by Fox News and Breitbart was really a plot by Obama to discredit Fox News. Beck asked, “Is there a possibility that anyone who is involved is going to use this emergency or plotted this as a way to destroy the credibility of Fox News?”
In a special comment on the Shirley Sherrod story, Countdown host Keith Olbermann dished out his usual wrath against Fox News and Andrew Breitbart, and he told President Obama that he must stand up against these racist attacks, “You, sir, must stand up against this attack on you and this nation.”
On Special Report with Bret Baier, the host and Charles Krauthammer denied Shirley Sherrod’s claim that Fox News has a racial agenda. Charles Krauthammer said, “She is a victim, but that doesn’t entitle her to victimize others, and to use these kinds of attacks.” In essence, Fox News smeared Shirley Sherrod then claimed to be the real victim.
Shep Smith once again broke with the party line at Fox News today as he explained why his show Studio B did not run Andrew Breitbart’s edited video of Shirley Sherrod, “Because of the history of the videos on the site where it was posted, we did not, and do not trust the source.” Shep managed to take shots at both his own network and Breitbart.