Shirley Sherrod Declines Agriculture Department Job Offer: 4 Theories Why

(Aug. 24) -- Looks like erroneously ousted Agriculture Department official Shirley Sherrod needs more "downtime to reflect" on what she wants to do next.

The department's former director of rural development for Georgia today announced she will not be accepting a new, unspecified outreach position offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the wake of last month's bizarre rush-to-judgment slash scandal.

To review: That incident entered around a video of Sherrod speaking at an NAACP event about overcoming her prejudice against a white farmer client more than 20 years ago. A heavily edited clip from the video, released by conservative agitator Andrew Breitbart, provoked public denouncements of Sherrod from the NAACP and the USDA, culminating in her forced resignation from her post. Then everyone viewed the video in its entirety and did a collective face-palm. Both organizations subsequently apologized to Sherrod, but the damage was done.

Now, it appears that the USDA's effort to undo some of it by offering her a new, better job has also fallen flat. Just why is Sherrod declining the offer? As The Associated Press put it: She told reporters she did not think she could say yes to a job "at this point, with all that has happened." Bloggers, however, are peering deeper, offering their own, more specific interpretations (some more serious than others) about what might be motivating Sherrod at this juncture.

Vilsack Was a Jerk to Her
So observed Mediaite's Tommy Christopher, in so many words: "It was [USDA Secretary Tom] Vilsack who demanded Sherrod's resignation, and stuck by his decision even after he knew her side of the story, actions that apparently played a part in Sherrod's decision not to return to his employ."

She'd Rather Consult
"When she declined, Vilsack said today, he offered her old job back. She declined again, but the two agreed that Sherrod could do consulting work for the department sometime in the future," noted Talking Points Memo writer Rachel Slajda.

She's Focusing on Suing Breitbart
As NBC's First Read reported: "Sherrod said she did not want to discuss it, but that a lawsuit against blogger Andrew Breitbart would take place." As Surge Desk previously reported, that case is going to be an uphill climb for Sherrod, seeing as libel laws in the United States are extremely difficult to argue, especially in cases involving public figures.

She's a Huge "Jersey Shore" Fan
New York magazine's Dan Amira observed: "First they were together, then they had a bad breakup, then they talked about getting back together again, and now, Shirley Sherrod, in declining the offer of a new job, says she needs a break from the USDA. Coincidentally, this is exactly the relationship arc of Sammi and Ronnie on 'Jersey Shore.'"