And it only took us what, 16 years?

Frank Rich often gets it right, as he does in today’s column on the Afghan War and the comparison between the Pentagon Papers and WikiLeaks’ publication of the Afghan War Diaries. His zingers, however, can derail an entire column. (Unlike, say, David Brooks or Ross Douthat, whose zingers make up their columns.) First, what Rich gets right…

In a pitiful column in the Washington Post, Dana Milbank outlines links between Glenn Beck’s on-air rants and the actions of a murderer and would-be murderer. Yet, Milbank says we should not blame Beck for his viewers’ actions. Fortunately, the legal team that will soon take Andrew Breitbart to task for his attack on Shirley Sherrod will likely bring real consequences for its actions to the right wing attack media. Will the corporate media then continue to hold them blameless?

It’s unclear what the charges of the lawsuit will be that Shirley Sherrod will bring against Andrew Breitbart — perhaps defamation or libel — but the discovery phase, at least, should be interesting.

Maybe all the pressure’s getting to him. In a candid interview, Andrew Breitbart opened up to ABC News, and revealed some rather personal information.

After being offered a new job with USDA, Shirley Sherrod told the media she indeed wants to hear from the President, to acquaint him with some realities from her life that he may not understand. So she needs to be convinced that he — the President of the United States — believes in, and will fight for, the principles he claims to hold.

Anyone following the Administration’s shameful treatment of Shirley Sherrod also knows that the entire episode began with a premeditated act by Andrew Breitbart, an unethical right wing thug who knowingly smeared both Ms. Sherrod and the NAACP with an obviously and misleadingly edited video.

Barack Obama ran his campaign on progressive messaging, but he basically despises liberals and hired a White House staff full of people who share those sentiments.

Rahm Emanuel’s “f*&king r%!rds” comment is symbolic of a multitude of anonymous slams against the left that are readily offered up by administration staffers to any member of the press willing to transcribe them. The White House does not want any whiff of association with the people who gave them their jobs, and it’s no wonder the President’s biggest supporters in the blogosphere are former Republicans.

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack issued a statement this a.m. saying he will reconsider the case that led to the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod, after he and the Obama Administration faced a storm of criticism for their actions.

Watching the story of Ms. Sherrod’s unfair firing unfold, there are several people who deserve to be fired in the Obama Administration today, possibly even in the White House. But so far, the only person to lose her job is Ms. Sherrod, the lone honest public servant in this sorry episode.