The facts are these: right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart published video of Shirley Sherrod, a senior official at the Dept. of Agriculture, boasting over having once discriminated against a white farmer. There was a blogstorm, and the Obama Administration was forced to demand her resignation.

The problem: the video had been edited out of context.

When the full footage of the speech was released hours later, it became clear that she was recounting the story as a parable for why every poor person deserved to be helped equally, whatever their race. … As the furore swirled, Eloise Spooner, the wife of the white farmer in question, came to Sherrod's defence, saying "we probably wouldn't have our farm today if it hadn't been for her."

Incredible. (via Matt Ephraim)