On Today's Hot Media Stories: Sherrod, ‘Journolist’  —  I go out of reach of internet-land for 48 hours, and the place blows up!  Let me be the last person in the Official Media to weigh in on two topics:  —  1) Shirley Sherrod.  I agree with my colleagues Coates, Sullivan, Green, Ambinder …

SHIRLEY SHERROD PUTS PRESIDENT OBAMA ON SPOT TO CALL — INCLINED TO REFUSE JOB — House Dems think they can keep losses at 20-30, short of 39 GOP needs — B'days: Jahan, Cherlin, Sam Chiron  —  FLASH — CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu says he is retiring from public life later this year.

Ousted official Shirley Sherrod blamed Fox, but other outlets ran with story  —  The White House spokesman and the agriculture secretary weren't the only ones offering regrets Wednesday to the lower-level official abruptly fired over a videotape excerpt that turned out to be totally misleading.

In Defense of Andrew Breitbart  —  The media and progressive-left Democrats now appear in a rush to convict Andrew Breitbart of shoddy journalism, while exonerating Shirley Sherrod and the NAACP from charges of abiding racism within their ranks.  Both Sherrod and the NAACP have charged …

Sarah Palin is at the top of her party  —  More than 13 months ago, I wrote a column that began: “Sarah Palin can be the Republican nominee in 2012.  I am not saying she will be, but she can be.  Those who underestimate her do so at their own risk.”  —  It was not the most popular column I ever wrote.

Bush Tax Cuts Roil Democrats  —  Two more Senate Democrats called for extending tax cuts for all earners—including those with the highest incomes—in what appears to be a breakdown of the party's consensus on the how to handle the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts.

Democrats may stop Bush-era tax cuts for wealthy from expiring  —  Democrats are considering a plan to delay tax hikes on the wealthy for two years because the economic recovery is slow and they fear getting crushed in November's election.  —  It could mean a big reprieve for families earning $250,000 and above annually.

The Vast Left-Wing Media Conspiracy  —  Everyone knew most of the press corps was hoping for Obama in 2008.  Newly released emails show that hundreds of them were actively working to promote him.  —  When I'm talking to people from outside Washington, one question inevitably comes up: Why is the media so liberal?