USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sincerely apologized to Shirley Sherrod for his own rush to judgement after viewing the edited footage of her heartfelt speech to a group of young people at a recent NAACP banquet. Vilsack admitted that the decision to dismiss Sherrod was his and his alone. Vilsack not only offered his apology and a new position in the department working closer with the civil rights area, but the White House also apologized to Sherrod as well for the hasty firing. While media outlets have attempted to lay the blame at the feet of President Obama, Vilsack also cleared the record by saying he never contacted the White House and that he acted alone in requesting Sherrod’s resignation. She has accepted both apologies but it remains unclear whether she will accept the position.
