What did we learn?

I've been caught in this weird inertia for the last couple of days, watching the unfolding spectacle we'll call the Sherrod story. Or should that be the Sherrod sorry? Or sorry Sherrod? Lord knows she deserved the apologies she got and is owed the ones she didn't.

Whatever. Here's what I learned from this "teachable moment" -- may the phrase die in a fire and never be resurrected. Andrew Breitbart is a soulless thug. Fox News is a menace to civilized society. The majority of our establishment media are the most wilfully unself-aware in the history of civilization. Oh wait. I already knew that.

What I learned was if Obama would only use his awesome power as the first black president and point out that Breitbart and Fox News are lying, race baiting scum, this would end racism and destroy the far right noise machine. Also, for all its usefulness in some ways, Twitter can be a limitless petri dish for breeding instant outrage and misdirected hysteria.