Andrew Breitbart's career shift from the Drudge Report to a key role with the upcoming Huffington Report must be so surprising in his circle that he has issued a statement, via his friend Roger L. Simon's blog. Breitbart writes:

The New York Times got it right -- I am amicably leaving the Drudge Report after a long and close working relationship with Matt Drudge, a man who will rightfully take his place in the history books as an Internet news pioneer. I am also excited to be a partner in an inspired new endeavor, the Huffington Post. The last time I worked with Arianna she got a guy who didn't deserve to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery disinterred. That was cool. I admit: I like to go where the action is.

As for my politics, I am, quite literally, an open book. 'Hollywood, Interrupted' spells it out perfectly. I am a raucous, opinionated, red meat eating libertarian-leaning conservative who refuses to be relegated to a conservative ghetto. I have lived on L.A.'s liberal Westside for all of my life. I went to the liberal Brentwood School. Most of my friends and extended family lean left and will all attest that at gatherings I gleefully disagree with them. Yet I still love them, and refuse to give up on getting them to see things my way. But the last election cycle gave me an ulcer. As a Dennis Miller/South Park kind of Republican, I am offended by both 'Bush is Hitler' rhetoric and fetus-in-a-jar political speech.

What the world needs more of is amicable -- even jocular -- disagreement. Bringing my former boss and longtime friend Arianna 's intriguing friends to the blogosphere, the ultimate level playing field, makes perfect sense to me, and I am thrilled to be committed to such a groundbreaking project.

More over there.