Just when you thought President Obama's 5th press conference since taking office (and the 4th in prime time) couldn't get any worse... He's getting ready to wrap things up and then takes one last question.
A reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times asks a (clearly staged and prepped for) question about the recent controversy between Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge Mass Police Officer James Crowley.
If you're not up on the story Gates appeared to be breaking in to a house with another man and a neighbor called police. It was in fact Gates house which a sticky door. Office Crowley responds to the call, investigates and confirms Gates identity. This is where things get cloudy and ugly. Gates calls Crowley a racist and claims he was profiled. Crowley says Gates crossed the line, followed him onto a public street and gave him a ton of attitude. Crowley arrests Gates for disorderly conduct. Gates is a distinguished college professor. Crowley an experienced police officer who, strangely, teaches a course in racial profiling.
The charges were dropped the next day, likely because cooler heads, on reflection, saw this thing for what it was... one of those bizarre "misalignment of the planets" type things. A regrettable misunderstanding where both sides probably overreacted a bit. One that should have blown over quickly. But not now.
The President, with no real knowledge of the situation, comments that the police behaved stupidly. Really? Why in the world would the President of the United States think he could or should make a comment on a cloudy civil matter in Massachusetts?
A situation that should have and otherwise would have quickly blown over has now been elevated to a not at all positive discussion about race in America. Many will now feel required to take a stand and pick a side. All because of a terribly misguided and irresponsible comment by the President. Nice job, sir.
A reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times asks a (clearly staged and prepped for) question about the recent controversy between Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge Mass Police Officer James Crowley.
If you're not up on the story Gates appeared to be breaking in to a house with another man and a neighbor called police. It was in fact Gates house which a sticky door. Office Crowley responds to the call, investigates and confirms Gates identity. This is where things get cloudy and ugly. Gates calls Crowley a racist and claims he was profiled. Crowley says Gates crossed the line, followed him onto a public street and gave him a ton of attitude. Crowley arrests Gates for disorderly conduct. Gates is a distinguished college professor. Crowley an experienced police officer who, strangely, teaches a course in racial profiling.
The charges were dropped the next day, likely because cooler heads, on reflection, saw this thing for what it was... one of those bizarre "misalignment of the planets" type things. A regrettable misunderstanding where both sides probably overreacted a bit. One that should have blown over quickly. But not now.
The President, with no real knowledge of the situation, comments that the police behaved stupidly. Really? Why in the world would the President of the United States think he could or should make a comment on a cloudy civil matter in Massachusetts?
A situation that should have and otherwise would have quickly blown over has now been elevated to a not at all positive discussion about race in America. Many will now feel required to take a stand and pick a side. All because of a terribly misguided and irresponsible comment by the President. Nice job, sir.
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