by Peter Nicholas
It started out as a casual suggestion: three guys working out their differences over a beer. But President Obama's offer to play host to the cop and the professor entangled in a debate over racial profiling now carries the imprimatur of high-level diplomacy.
White House aides are downplaying expectations that the beer summit that Obama suggested last week will produce a resolution.
It's set for Thursday, an administration official confirmed Monday night.
Both Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., Police Department and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. have agreed to come. That means Obama is on the hook to achieve some kind of agreement.
Bilateral get-togethers between Obama and a host of foreign leaders in recent months have gotten less attention. The image of the president trying to use a beer-drinking session to mediate an ages-old, highly volatile dispute has given new definition to diplomatic mission.
See the beer-summit story in Tribune newspapers and here in the Swamp:
Obama offended Cambridge police when he said that they had acted "stupidly" in arresting the professor on a charge of disorderly conduct at his home July 16 after a reported possible break-in. Gates and Crowley have left open the prospect of suing one another. And none of the three has apologized, although Obama came close last week when he said his choice of words was poor.
What does the president expect from the meeting? White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview that it might be the first step toward a rapprochement.
"A lot of this is going to happen between them [Gates and Crowley], without the president, going forward," Gibbs said. "You had a situation where, for whatever reason, both individuals couldn't step back. And at least this will provide an opportunity to show people that that's possible -- and hopefully start a bigger dialogue."
The beer summit will be monitored closely. Many black leaders believe Obama was on target with his initial comments. They don't want the moment to pass without a fuller discussion of racial profiling.
"His first response was appropriate, which was that the police officer's behavior was stupid, not that the officer was stupid," said Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington office of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People.
"I don't believe that [Obama's] assumption is that, 'We all overstepped a little bit, and now it's all good and let's have a beer and how's your family,' " Shelton said. "If that were the intention, this is an incredible opportunity that would have gotten away from us. The issue is bigger than that. The behavior of that police officer still needs to be dealt with, and the issue of racial profiling still needs to be addressed."
Law enforcement agencies will be watching closely for any sign that the president will favor his friend Gates over Crowley.
New details of the arrest emerged Monday in the form of the 911 call that first alerted police to a possible problem at Gates' home. A dispatcher asked the caller about the race of the two men seen pushing through the door.
The caller, Lucia Whalen, did not identify either man as black, although she said one might be Latino. She also told the dispatcher that she had seen suitcases near the door and that the episode might have been an instance of someone having "a hard time with their key."
Gates had been returning from a trip to China and could not get his front door open.
Whalen's attorney, Wendy Murphy, said that "she never used the word 'black' to describe the man, ever. Not during the 911 call. Not afterward."
Police ultimately dropped the charges against Gates, but the arrest became national news.
In fact, when aides helped the president prepare for his news conference July 22, they told him the incident had become a prominent story and could come up as a question. So Obama was ready. But he escalated the situation with one word he would quickly come to regret: "stupidly."
Gibbs said: "I think if he would do it again, he would change a word."
Obama's conciliatory statement two days after the news conference helped defuse the issue, Gibbs said. But even had the president chosen to cast the actions of Cambridge police differently, an uproar may have been unavoidable, he said.
"Whenever you get race and politics, it's like catnip," Gibbs said, sitting behind his desk in his West Wing office. "All you need is a spark -- and cable television is happy to do that."
Peter Wallsten contributed to this report.
Comments
That means Obama is on the hook to achieve some kind of agreement.
Do we really think that opening a dialoque on this will reach an "agreement"? My guess? Out of the 3 there will be only one who will admit they made a mistake and could have handled it better and that is Obama. We ask a bit much for solving a complex issue such as race over 1 beer.
Posted by: bill r. | July 28, 2009 8:36 AM
Wonder if Obama will come completely clean m or just more TelePrompTerr mumbling.
Posted by: Inky | July 28, 2009 9:20 AM
It really was a "teachable moment", as the facts came out it appears the the race card was played by the Gates and Obama took the Rev. Wright position. Maybe 20 yrs. of sermons didn't fall on deft ears. He should have stuck to the TelePrompTer. Reminds me of the "spread the wealth" ad lib comment which is all to obvious in this admin. policies.
Posted by: bubba Porter | July 28, 2009 10:10 AM
Professor Gates' tactics are simply those of a hammer looking for a nail. Unfortunately, Pres. Obama seems willing to be the helping hand on the hammer!!
Posted by: virginia | July 28, 2009 10:50 AM
The damage has been done to the presidency by the president! BEER WILL NOT HELP!
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/07/26/nr.comrade.in.arms.cnn
Posted by: PappyHappy | July 28, 2009 11:04 AM
OK Mr. President, what's it going to be, Activist or President. 1 person or all of us that once believed in you.
Posted by: svivar9087 | July 28, 2009 11:40 AM
I guess in the eyes of some doing your job and following the law means "acting stupidly." Not to me. Without question the officer's behavior was in response to an irate indvidual who - for whatever reason - chose to engage in childish and tired tactics. Bravo to the unions for standing up to this charade. If only more of us were more thankful to police officers who do their jobs, and demonstrate such professionalism and restraint. This officer was appointed by an African-American to teach a racial profiling course, so clearly this is not the issue. No apologies Sgt. Crowley. Those of us left in America with common sense support you. In fact, with the job performance of our current Administration, I'm starting to like the idea of a Crowley-Joe the Plumber ticket...
Posted by: enough already | July 28, 2009 11:51 AM
"Without question the officer's behavior was in response to an irate indvidual who - for whatever reason - chose to engage in childish and tired tactics. Bravo to the unions for standing up to this charade."
Funny how the tapes reveal a different story. Equally interesting that the witness account varies significantly from what the officer wrote in his report. A number of discrepancies have since come to light and your "hero" is not the guy everyone thought he was. So, if anything's a charade, it's that people like you keep trying to perpetuate the opposite.
Posted by: Diane | July 28, 2009 12:45 PM
Yup, the President put his foot in it, so now he has to create this photo-op of having Gates and Crowley over for a beer. Obama can stand between both men with an arm around each and thus try to turn his egregious error into an image of him "bridging racial tensions" and "promoting understanding." I'm not sure anyone will believe it ...
Posted by: KateRL | July 28, 2009 12:46 PM
The cop and the prof hope they're able
To heal at the President's table;
They'll settle their flap
But trouble's on tap
If they're serving only Black Label.
News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8
Posted by: JFD8 | July 28, 2009 1:00 PM
How dare the president say anything about race. There is no race issue in America. Not from my lily white neighborhood anyway.
Posted by: bill r. | July 28, 2009 1:30 PM
That is SO easy.
The American Beer that Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates and President Obama should have:
LOST NATION PALE ALE from Willoughby Brewing Company, 4057 Erie Street Willoughby Ohio.
http://www.willoughbybrewing.com/beer.htm
So...
Maybe if we were to consider the whole "beer at the White House" thing from Sgt. Crowley's point of view?
You never know, he might feel a little put upon, having someone of another ethnic background automatically assuming he liked to drink because he was Irish? Maybe even if he is standing in a bar when he gets the invite?
I mean, especially if he knows in the depths of his very soul and through the personal experience of generations of his ethnic group that there is a history of societal-wide biased belief that the majority of Irishmen abused alcohol?
What if the invite was really only an innocent one - the kind of invite that someone might extend to a working acquaintance or customer while in the course of their job?
But what if then, as Sgt. Crowley has been conditioned to look at such pleasantries as an insult to his heritage and his intelligence, he takes offense at the invitation to “have a beer”?
Are we to then blame him?
Of course not – blame the inviter, not the invitee.
Even if he is just doing his job.
Posted by: jackscrow | July 28, 2009 1:53 PM
The President of the United States should not be publicly promoting beer drinking. He is a role model to the children of this country. Or, at least he should be.
Posted by: wasatchpowder | July 28, 2009 2:40 PM
I've believed from the beginning that Gates actually wanted to be arrested. Then he could have a "See I told you so" moment cry "racist" and confirm the largely mythical racial profiling mantra that he's been teaching for years. He succeeded in provoking Crowley until he did indeed get arrested, but he picked on the wrong guy. He go no apology, and shouldn't have. In fact Gates is the one who should apologize.
Posted by: Tom | July 28, 2009 2:50 PM
Dear Harvard University Registrar:
I've been reviewing your course catalog and earnestly desire to pursue an advanced degree in Political Correctness. Therefore, I'm certain I would enjoy some "teachable moments" by enrolling in some courses taught by your esteemed Professor Skip Gates. What would you recommend?
-Victimology 101
-Creative Slavery: How to Instigate White Liberal Guilt Trips
-Psychology of putting a Chip-on-your-Shoulder
-Inflammatory Readings in White Racism 400
-How to Mooch off of University Endowments
-What Momma taught me: playing the race card in any jam
-Empowering the Drones: organizing ACORN voter registration drives
Thank you & Power to the People!, I.M. Klooles
Posted by: the Angelus | July 28, 2009 3:03 PM
Tom, you have quite an imagination. You say you really believe that? Are you also a birther?
Posted by: Flo | July 28, 2009 3:32 PM
Flo why else would he continue to rant, rave, insult and demean the officer (and the officer's mother I might add)? He was specifically and directly told to quiet down and return to his house to avoid being arrested but he did not do so. Any reasonable person would have. You simply don't loudly insult and demean a police officer--especially in front of a crowd--and get away with it.
I give up--what is a 'birther".
Posted by: Tom | July 28, 2009 3:56 PM
Put race off to one side and what I see is a man arrested on his own property for ticking off a cop. To me, that's the cop abusing his authority. And yes, I think he would have done the same if it were a white man mouthing off. Doesn't make it right.
Posted by: jo | July 28, 2009 4:01 PM
So Angelus, how many crosses did you burn last night? How about "Dealing with Cops who have an Attitude."
Posted by: Gordy | July 28, 2009 4:25 PM
The beer blast in DC is just the latest attempt to rehabilitate Gates and/or the POTUS. Watch for them to try to co-opt Crowley, or at least to ruin his reputation. The event is based on the assumption that anybody white is in the wrong, somehow. My opinion, formed using what information is publicly available to date: Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct because he acted like an _______, Crowley did nothing wrong at any point in the confrontation. If Crowley appears to be taken in by the dynamic duo on Thursday, it will count in my estimation as yet another effort on the officer's part to bend over backwards to keep the peace. It's his sworn duty, after all.
Posted by: June | July 28, 2009 4:47 PM
Tom, your version of the facts is quite incorrect. The charges were dropped, y'know. I highly doubt Gates insulted Crowley's mother. Much of the police report has already been proven inaccurate by the radio recordings and 911 call. A birther, Tom, is one who believes that the President was not born in the United States; see the story above.
Posted by: Flo | July 28, 2009 6:35 PM
"It's his sworn duty, after all."
Posted by: June
If he'd done his duty, June, he would not have made an arrest.
Posted by: rupert | July 28, 2009 8:13 PM
Flo you sound like a nice lady. If you linked to the story from Real Clear Politics, may I suggest that you also link to the one titled "Police Radio Dispatches Released", read the actual police report and then see what you think. Make sure you read all 3 pages.
And now that I know what a "birther" is I can assure you I am not one. In fact I think it's a stupid waste of time and energy for these people to keep harping on this.
Posted by: Tom | July 28, 2009 9:42 PM
Off duty cops hacking away again.
According to them, when they order you out of your house, you must obey.
You must only say them
"yes sir , yes sir , three bags full".
You must give a full account of your geneology, activities, and party affiliation...
By no means may you say anything that to them may seem critical or contumacious.
Etc.
What rubbish.
Posted by: ornery | July 28, 2009 9:54 PM
looks like the peace beer might end up being Narrgansett -
they dropped a case of beer on Gates' porch yesterday... I hear the old New England brew is the new favorite among Cambridge's stylish denizens...maybe they should get the nod...
there's a breakdown and pics over at economixt -
http://www.economixt.com/narragansett-beer-now-a-part-of-the-gates-crowley-obama-trifecta
Posted by: Sean | July 29, 2009 9:38 AM
All of the elitist BS aside what is really disturbing about this is that after these SOBs get preferential treatment by Countrywide, and make a fortune assigning themselves a paycheck that most of us can only dream of having, they still have the audacity to send us mailings and phone calls (at our expense of course) asking us to donate more money so they can get re-elected to represent us. This isn't a government, it's a joke.
Posted by: Jon Weiss | July 29, 2009 9:38 AM
I've read it all, Tom, last week and again this week; I agree with the decision last week to drop the charges; I also see that the 911 tape and statement of the caller differ from Crowley's police report, particularly the part about black men with backpacks. That said, Gates obviously could have behaved better, but being a jerk in your home does not merit cuffs and arrest.
Posted by: Flo | July 29, 2009 10:05 AM
Crowley "embellished" a police report??
Why am I not surprised?
Posted by: Milton Friedman | July 29, 2009 10:30 AM
I think they better stick to 3.2 beer.
Anything stronger may enrage them and cause a drunken brawl.
Posted by: TheReamer | July 29, 2009 11:42 AM
I have to agree that Gates behaved very poorly. It would seem that we are all products of our conditioning. Even a Harvard Professor.
Racial profiling as just another form of conditioning.
I think it is great that they sit down for a beer. It was after all Sgt. Crowley's idea.
Posted by: Chris R | July 29, 2009 12:44 PM
This is all in the Past; why keep talking about it? Sometimes when people open their mouth too soon, they stick the WHOLE FOOT in & can't get it out!!!
Posted by: j johnson | July 29, 2009 7:01 PM
I think we should declare July 30th as National Beer Summit Day. All Americans are encouraged to drink beer and resolve past transgression.
Posted by: Kevin Gets | July 29, 2009 9:31 PM
Just like all of the programs by our current administration, we're sure that 200 years of racism among people can come to a solution over a beer from Jamaica, one from a former American Co, now inBev and a Belgian White -
Posted by: John | July 30, 2009 2:20 PM
What Beer Should be served at the "Teachable Moment Conference"?
" Why change now? Take 5 breweries most likely to fail. Fire the CEOs. Appoint a Drinking Czar. Mix a brew that would include all lights and darks and a percentage of every beer, wine or any beverage consumed by any country in the UN based upon their contribution to the UN. It should satisfy no one nor should it offend anyone so it should be alcohol free. It would taste as close as possible to the "bitter swill of swallowed-back anger". It will be taxed as a sin, subsidized by the Fed and therefore will cost 150.00 per bottle. Served luke warm lest we offend our English allies. It will be called "Stupid" beer in honor of this whole epic. Or Kumbaya swill... The toast will be "a bad peace is better than a good war”. The teachable moment for Gates, "Speak no evil" for Crowley "Hear no evil" for Obama "See no evil".
Posted by: Joseph | July 30, 2009 8:05 PM
Dear Mr President,
I know you are busy(with your beer party and all) But could you take two minutes of your time and google on your computer, girl beaten in jail. Please watch video. And then please explain to me and the rest of America how this fifteen year old girl being beaten by a police officer is less importent then your friend being arrested for disorderly conduct. I realize his pride was hurt, but this child was physically hurt, and this officer is out of jail pending trial. This made headlines for a short week. I was wondering what you will be doing about this. I'm not sure a beer party can fix this one. Oh and feel free to share this video with Mrs Obama. Like me she is a mother also and I am sure she will find this as appalling as I do .
Posted by: Susan | July 30, 2009 10:50 PM