Howard Dean calls out Fox News' racism

Former Democratic Vermont Governor Howard Dean took on Fox News for its involvement in the Shirley Sherrod racism flap, calling their coverage "absolutely racist."

Dean, who was also the former Democratic National Committee chairman, provided his candid assessment in an appearance on Fox News Sunday:

"Fox News did something that was absolutely racist. They had an obligation to find out what was really in the clip. They had been pushing a theme of black racism with this phony Black Panther crap and this business and this Sotomayor and all this other stuff."

Host Chris Wallace attempted to provide the flismy excuse that Fox had held off on broadcasting the footage in question until the Agriculture Department forced Sherrod out of her job there, but Dean wasn't buying it. Why didn't Fox properly research and confirm the story, before running wild with it? Oh yeah, that's right, because just like Andrew Breitbart, Fox News also specializes in racially-based smear jobs. Ditto Newt Gingrich, who is also on the panel with Dean, who is still trying to smear Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor.

"It was about to go on Glenn Beck, which is what the administration was afraid of."

Dean would later say: "The Tea Party called out their racist fringe and I think the Republican Party's got to stop appealing to its racist fringe. And Fox News is what did that. You put that on. Continuing to cater to this theme of minority racism and stressing comments like this -- some of which are taken out of context -- does not help the country knit itself together."