New York: President Barack Obama said on Thursday
that the racial firestorm that led to the ouster of a black
Agriculture Department official was a "phony controversy"
generated by the media. He said his administration overreacted
by forcing her out.
In an interview on ABC`s daytime talk show "The View,"
Obama said the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod shows
racial tensions still exist in America.
"There are still inequalities out there. There`s still
discrimination out there," said Obama, who is the first black
US president. "But we`ve made progress."
Sherrod was forced to resign after a conservative
website posted an edited video of her speaking about race.
Sherrod said the video took her remarks out of context. When
her full remarks were discovered, Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack apologised and offered Sherrod a new job at the
department.
Obama pinned much of the blame for the incident on a
media culture that he said seeks out conflict and doesn`t
always get the facts right. But he added, "A lot of people
overreacted, including people in my administration.``
The Sherrod incident added another wrinkle to an
administration already burdened by the slow pace of the
economic recovery, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Gulf
oil spill.
While acknowledging that the country has gone through a
tough stretch since he took office, Obama said he remains
optimistic about the direction the US is headed.
PTI
