Obama's police report: Reassessment

Mental note: never, never, ever answer a question without help from the teleprompter.

Racial profiling is done by all races. I think Obama is guilty of racial profiling.

All he heard was "white cop" arrested "black friend" and immediately profiled the cops actions.

What if it had been "black cop" arresting Joe Nobody who as the cop was leaving started in on the black cop's mother, wouldn't shut up and started screaming "I'm special and you're not" to the cop's back?

I am so sick of everything being about race. This Gates guy was a overwrought "I'm special" doofus and deserved to be shown that the law applies and respect for the cops is needed, even if you're a friend of the President.

God, haven't we had enough of people using and relying and counting on clout to get them out of bad and illegal behaviours?

Oh, he now apportions the blame. How nice. Obama's word is a nullity. He cannot be believed. First he will say one thing, feel some backlash, and then backtrack.
Maybe, if he was not a racist himself, he would have had the sense to think first before responding. He did not. He is the President of the United States. Words mean things, but he has not figured that out yet. Sad, frustrating, and outright wrong!

Why do the authors of this article feel that they need to try to explain Obama's comments? Why is the emphasis on the "Praise" instead of the absolutely poor judgement he used in saying the police "acted stupidly" without knowing ANY of the facts of the matter? When will the media stop making excuses for this President and start doing their job of reporting the news?

"the considerations that are usually afforded to him went right out the window." REALLY. Why is he expecting "considerations?" We think he is a racist himself and jumped at the opportunity to get some publicity. Outside some academic circles (and our president), who the heck has ever heard of this guy. Hooray for the police.

The one thing I don't understand, is why was this question even brought up at the news conference. It has nothing to do with what is going on with the world. We are at two wars and nothing was mentioned about that. There are a lot of other issues that are way more important then this case. I don't get what agenda this reporter had in asking this question. I am absolutely surprised that Obama admitted he didn't know much about the case, yet made the comment he did. I can see why he has changed his stance. He realizes that he made a big mistake. What a shame the race baiter's have turned this country into. And a real shame the president has joined the ranks with them. I thought Obama had more class then that.

It is safe to say Mr. Gates over-reacted, and the police over-reacted. I still contend, however, that the police would not have handcuffed a 58-year-old white man using a cane in his own home. Substitute "Rush Limbaugh" for "Henry Gates" in this story and no arrest takes place.

I hope President Obama learns from this incident in Boston that before he shoots his mouth off on such a touchy issue he should know all the facts.

read the police report, gates was given the opportunity to minimize the situation, unfortunately chose not too!
Also, potus, without the words of his handlers is just an empty suit, & who's, 20 yrs of rev wrights sunday racism is still there. I new this guy was a fraud, the media didn't and still dosen't.

Very simple formula here:

Obama - teleprompter = president acting stupidly.

The man is an empty suit. When will the media finally call him on this?

One of the most enduring myths of the Obama administration is that the boy king is some sort of genius. In reality, he's a stumbling, bumbling arrogant fool off the teleprompter. From "stupidly" to "Cominsky Field" to "57 states," this guy is a buffoon. Unfortunately, the country is going to continue suffering for his incompetence and narcissium.

I've seen plenty of white people mouth off to the police and get arrested. Gates seemed to think that he was the new Rosa Parks, but I'm not sure the public is buying it. Show the police your ID and keep your mouth shut. I've gotten tickets I didn't think I deserved. I remember mouthing off to a cop about a parking ticket, and ending up with 3 others. Nothing racial about it.

Obama's dumb statement the other day is a perfect example why he shouldn't be the Commander and Chief. He's a Harvard Genius with zero common sense. This never would have happened during the election because his advisors would have prepared a statement to be read from a teleprompter.

Obama has some nerve insulting police officers when he has never served in the military or anything even close to being dangerous! Some loon professor from Harvard acts like an idiot and Obama stands up for him?? The man was arrested because he was out of control - not because he was black. I am so sick of the whole racial profiling black thing, I could scream!

The presidency is not a position for the on-the-job training, especially during nationally-televised news conferences concerning social issues which probably helped elect him..

Mr. Obama did not react in a "presidential" manner with his initial answer concerning this issue.

The President of the United State is supposed to be above personal feelings - even it they are from his gut.

For all of his abilities to "compartmentalize" (as the media liked to fawn about him over), President Clinton blurted out at that infamous news conference that he "did not have sex with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky" which, of course, turned out to be a bald-faced lie.

For the country's sake, I hope President Obama learns by this gaffe. We already have a Vice President picked on the Democratic ticket to give the White House some "gravitas" (another great media word). Instead since his election, Joe Biden has continued to be little more than comedic fodder for late night TV talk show hosts.

It's time for a little leadership that is "above it all."

Huh. A number of years back I received one of the only speeding tickets of my adult life from an African American state trooper in Michigan. It's only now that I finally realize that I was a victim of racial profiling! I feel so persecuted. Maybe someday I can get reparations.

"I hope President Obama learns from this incident in Boston that before he shoots his mouth off on such a touchy issue he should know all the facts."

Like any good jive talking politician, Obama knows that facts only mess things up.

Obama is a masterful politician. This remark was not masterful however. There was no upside to Obama in first remarking that he does not know the facts and then opining that the police were in the wrong. That was what was stupid.

By the way, to me, it is so clear that ANYONE who starts yelling at the cops and insulting their mamas--black or white--is going to end up in jail. It's too bad that this has only added fuel to the liberal obsession with race.

Rahm I have an idea, blame the whole unpleasant incident on a malfunctioning teleprompter.

Remember what happened earlier in the week before everyone went crazy:

"Red-faced Cambridge officials on Tuesday dropped what they called "regrettable" charges against Harvard's most prominent black scholar, who was arrested at his home last week by a cop looking for a burglar.

The City of Cambridge issued a statement calling Gates' arrest on charges of disorderly conduct "regrettable and unfortunate."

Sounds like a bad arrest to me.

There is so much back and forth with this story, let's just reinstate the charge against Gates, take it to court, dispose the witnesses and come up with a conclusion/verdict. Then we can know who acted stupidly.

Cops do act irrationally on a regular basis, sometimes with a disastrous outcome. But not this time. They followed standard operating procedure for any department in the nation. They attempted to identify the person they were talking to, and then attempted to ascertain the safety of those in the immediate area. Gates being uncooperative, left the officer little opportunity to act thoughtfully. The officer did however, act in accordance with all proper procedure and understanding of job.

Obama, showed his racial distrust for Caucasian Americans, yet again. He has proven himself to be a racist before and after the election. Given the opportunity to check out both sides of this story, Obama chose only to take the word of his fellow black man and charge “whitey” with racism without foundation. When in fact it was both Gates and Obama who chose the racist stance against an officer only charged with the interest of well-being of those living at that address. A racist has been put into the White House and Gates should be fired for his racist stance. There will be more.

Obama made a similar comment early in the campaign when he stated that "white people cling to their bibles and guns."

Racism can cut both ways.

I liked the comment from the press secretary -- "we don't always rehearse answers to the questions"

Could it be this question wasn't anticipated so Obama didn't have a rehearsed answer? Then we got to hear the true Obama.

The time will come when the people who voted him into office will see the real Obama. They won't like what they see.

He will make George Bush look like a genius.

He's black and he hates the police.
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Where is the story?
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He is a far left liberal and he supports a criminal instead of the police that arrested him.
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Where is the story.

He is the President and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs this month and this is what he's focused on.
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His refusal to address the economy, now that's a story.

Softens his stance? Really??? It sounds to me like he dug his heels in for a fight. Can't wait for the POTUS and the Professor to apologize!

Why does it seem that Obama and the black Democrats are lining up to make this a race dispute when it obviously was a justified police response? Is this what this administration really comes down to, a coordinated effort to start a racial conflict instead of smoothing the waters? Kneejerk comments like Obama's are worrisome if they are a portent to how he will manage the office in other respects.

The obama just caused more DRAMA ! This is a natural evolution in black logic ! Obama just proved that ! Every single black person was thinking the exact same thing and does th exact same thing. Commenting on a situation without knowing the FACTS ! ERGO: promoting and Fostering the DOUBLE STANDARD of minorities ! !

If a white person commented on the grave yard perps being black and the depths of this despicable crime you would see a double standard ! ! !

Reverse Discrimination is on the Rise ! ! ! ! !

The President was WRONG to comment on this issue because he did not have all the facts. The police officer was responding to a burglary in progress call, and came upon a person inside or on the property on question. The officers has several seconds-SECONDS--to identify a person, apprehend a suspect, request a back-up unit, look for a possible second offender, secure the person he already has, evaluate the safty of the general public, if any, in the immediate area. All this has to be done by someone who is not cooperating with verbal directions. We must be careful how quick we judge police. No police officer ever wants to hurt or arrest the wrong person.
This was a black man who has some clout and wants everyone to know it. A black man who can't imagine being stooped by the police, for any reason.

too little too late as proven by his poll rating now below 50%

I feel so much better knowing that our Commander in Chief - by his own admission - makes decisions and passes judgement without first having all the facts.

I will remember this in 2012 ... as I'm sure many, many others will.

Too late. The racist messiah has already shown his true colors (no pun intended). But we knew what he was really like when he threw his typical white woman of agrandmother under the bus. Too bad that the sheeple still have their heads in the sand.

"But Gates was not going to back down because that officer tripped every racial humiliation that Gates and his family have experienced since slavery."

Gates was not here during slavery! I am so tired of this crutch. And now we have the POTUS backing up this victim behavior.

UGH, I am disgusted.

This incident was a "whose is bigger" fight between two men, it happens all the time. It has nothing to do with race, give me a break. Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I do not think this was necessarily racial profiling as much as a case of "contempt of cop."
Policemen all over the country are little people with big power and typically do not know a damn thing about handling confrontation. Anytime a policeman gets annoyed he can make up a charge and arrest someone.

This r-tard cop in Cambridge should be docked a few weeks pay for being such a lightweight.

If an old man Harvard professor is too much for this policeman to deal with how will he handle a dude who's high on PCP?

The "facts" of this case are unclear. Gates may be lying or exaggerating, and the same is true of the Police. The truth may well lie in the middle, and none of us are certain of the facts.

Racism in this situation has occured as people--including our President--take sides based on incomplete information coupled with personal ethnic biases.

Shame on all of you.

Like president Bush said: " Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice...well...um....you just won't fool me twice."
I think Obama learned an important lesson, unfortunately, I like the reaction from the gut. Instead of the thought through, practiced, PC, pre-written crap that we hear so much of.

the president needs to keep his mouth shut when he does not know the facts. makes him look stupid

Paleez. The bottom line is Gates was in his home. He wasn't a threat unless he used his walking cane. But he still wound up arrested. Why? Because he "allegedly" talked about the officer's mother. Again, cry me a river. Ask any black man who has been questioned by the police, both black or white, what types of things they say to the "alleged perpetrators" to elicit a negative response in order to justify the arrest.

Ask yourself, who was the neighbor who called? Does the neighbor know Gates? I'm sure the answer is yes. A black man moving into Cambrige, Mass, oh yes, Gates has been checked out already. The neighbor could've shut the incident down even further by acknowledging something as simple as, "Oh, Prof Gates, I didn't realize it was you. I knew you were out of town and all I saw was the appearance of someone breaking into your home and I called the police." Incident stopped in it's tracks. But no, Prof Gates was disturbing the peace in his own home with himself.

Let's delve deeper. Let's say Prof Gates did indeed verbally insult the officer. Do you mean to tell me the officer is not trained to ignore rhetoric?

C'mon people!!

The president causes me to worry if this is how he reacts to this type of situation. What will he do if challenged by China or someother world power?

Would the arrest have happened were Gates white? No. That's all we, and Obama, need to know. I hate the fact he's backing down now.

Everytime Obama speaks off the cuff, he ends up regretting it and having to back-pedal.

Thanks obamatrons! (morons)

Another show of Obama inexperience, the "Constitutional lawyer, Mr Obama leaps to a conclusion after saying "I do not have all the facts" how is that different than Al Sharpton and Tawaana Brawley? Mr. Above race, Obama, immediately blames a white policeman while his friend, Prof, Gates cries "is this how you treat a black man in America" The whole thing smells. I believe the question detracts from the Healthcare debate Obama is losing and is another distraction Obama always pulls when he is in trouble-Stimulus-"Let's get this done at once we do not have time to discuss", we must act on Healthcare at once do not take time to read the bill, we must vote, it is endless he has a problem he calls on a distraction and the Congress leaps to do his bidding-he is a fraud! Remember Emanuel saying " a good crisis cannot be wasted" that is what FDR said as he extended the depression 6 years longer than any other country.

What Obama did was change his stated political position on the issue. He didn't change his view. He will always be the anti-American community organizer that his wife is and his adoring media tools "stupidly" support with their ill-advised biased coverage.
Figure it out, media : you and your descendents will be profoundly and irrepairably harmed by the policies Obama espouses.
When the insurance companies are gradually forced out of the healthcare industry, virtually everyone's taxes will skyrocket and quality of care will suffer greatly. Why do we see so few stories on the potential for the benefits of Tort Reform in significantly lowering costs? The people in the media and their families are among those who will be so negatively affected by the conversion to Socialism in healthcare and other areas. THINK!!

I am thankful for our President speaking without subjecting the American people to politically correct jargon.
My hope is that he will continue to speak from the heart, specifically in matters relating to our societies shortcomings.

Lets hope this issue is Obama's WATERLOO,if not should be.

The same people that complain about Obama's reaction to the arrest of a black professor in his own home called Sonia Sotomayor a racist for her so-called "wise Latina" remark which was "hopeful," not racist.

"I would hope," she begins, qualifying her remark as a wish and a "hope," not a statement of FACT.

She goes on to add, a "wise," not a "foolish," Latina.

She emphasizes the "richness of experience," not RACE.

She qualifies, "more often than not," but not always.

None of these qualifications and parameters satisfied the Limbaughs or Gingrich crowd.

They reacted on instinct.

Now they are complaining that Obama is acting on instinct.

I guess it's true what they say, "It takes one to know one."

I guess barry’s whole ‘I’m going to teach the world how to transcend race’ speech just went out the window. Along with his credibility as a president for ALL the people. What an idiot. Good luck with your policies now, divider.

I've been called a racist by black people I work with by the simply being white ... if you knew anything at all about me, racist is NOT a word to describe my personality ... President Obama simply spoke without knowing the facts ... still a better alternative than the torturing, murdering, greedy, no-good, lying republican'ts ...

"The president causes me to worry if this is how he reacts to this type of situation. What will he do if challenged by China or someother world power?"

I have to agree: just because it was the president's friend, he made a quick judgment and broadcast it without thinking of the ensuing consequences.

As for the incident, Gates seems to have either a chip on his shoulder or is getting a touch of dementia to act that way. I would be HAPPY that the police came if someone was breaking into my house. This guy took offense at it.

This is no surprise to me because Obama could care less about police officers and it showed by what he did this past May during the National Police Officer Memorial week in DC. He decided to meet with the Philadelphia Phillies instead of meeting with the families of fallen officers. Obama can backpedal all he wants but him not showing up that day showed his true colors and what he really thinks about law enforcement officers.

George Bush by no means was a great President, but at least he had the common courtesy to show up to this event and comfort the families of dead officers. The secret service would become irritated because Bush usually stayed so long it disrupted their plans and their schedule.

Shame on you Barry.

Presumably, many of the anti-Obama commentors are Republican and as such, at least give lip service to the notion that government should stay out of people's affairs as much as possible. Here we have a police officer who by the most favorable light for the police arrested a man in his own home for being angry. This is as glaring an exercise of the police power of the state as most individuals can every fear to experience. Any government official attempting to control someone's speech in the sanctity of that person's home is acting stupidly.

Obama is the one who 'acted stupidly'
By Bob Weir
From the moment a police officer dons that uniform, he/she becomes a symbol of authority, and it becomes obvious very quickly that most people in a free country resent authority. It could be the guy who gets pulled over for speeding or passing a red light; it could be the guy who's clobbering his wife during a family dispute, or it could be a guy who breaking into a residence that turns out to be his.If anyone is a racist in this confrontation, it is this obstreperous professor who evidently feels that his loft academic status and his friendship with Obama not only put him above the law, but give him a platform to inject "color" into every situation. Make no mistake about it, if Crowley were black and followed the same protocol, Gates would have recognized that there was no opportunity for a public spectacle, so he would have behaved properly
Speaking of behavior, President Obama showed his own lack of class and judgment when he said the Cambridge PD "acted stupidly." To make such a sweeping statement of condemnation after admitting that he didn't "know all the facts," is beneath the dignity of his high office.

For a black man who has achieved the level of Chief Executive in a country where the overwhelmingly majority of voters are white to use that tired old canard about everything being racist, is stunningly contemptible. If this is the type of judgment Obama uses to make decisions, God help us if he's able to pass any more legislation.

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/obama_is_the_one_who_acted_stu_1.html

He was seen breaking into a house. Any cop in the United States would have questioned him. He made it hard on himself by pretending to be Rosa Parks. Nobody is buying his story.

"Softened stance" doesn't do it. He needs to apologize to Sergeant Crowley and his family. Obama publicly defamed Crowley after admitting he did not have the facts. This was an extraordinary abuse of presidential power. Obama better do this pretty quickly. There were seven citizen witnesses to the event. Only one has been quoted over one radio station--he said Gates was "beligerant". For obvious reasons, he has not been heard from again. Nor have any of the others. Anyone casually familiar wih the now institutionalized biases in our media know that this means the witnesses back the cops' version of the facts. I would not expect the Tribune or the networks to interview these folks, but there may still be one honest reporter somewhere in America. Also Cambridge's Black mayor, like Obama a personal friend of Gates, has ordered the police not to release the tapes of incident. This can only be because the tapes back the officer's version. But inevevitably, they will leak. Obama needs to get ahead of this.

I have to agree with Obama a man can't be arrested for being heated in his own home after being annoyed for being inconvenienced. However I am glad he distanced jimself from the racial profiling situation. I don't think this can apply here since the cops were called in by a neighbor. The problem is police abusing their authority and overstepping as usual. It needs yo be abpout the public they serve not abusing tehir authority because they feel their egos have been challenged. They are here to protect us damn it not the other way around.

Once again, Obama's true color has been shown. Just like Michelle not being proud of America, Wright's God damn America, Obama too does not seem to like white America.

He is only backing down and softening up his stance because there has been a backlash on him.

Backing down and softening up his stance now only proves that he is just being politically correct, just like when he threw his white grandmother and rev. wright under the bus when it became politically expedient.

The fact that he interjected race only manifests his inner most thoughts and his subconscious moral compass.

This is no different from Imus calling the black girls' team nappy-headed hos and then later apologizing for it. What imus did showed what was always in his inner thoughts.

We suppress some inner thoughts because they are not proper, but if we continue to harbor those thoughts, eventually they will come out. Obama did just that.

I have to agree with Obama a man can't be arrested for being heated in his own home after being annoyed for being inconvenienced. However I am glad he distanced jimself from the racial profiling situation. I don't think this can apply here since the cops were called in by a neighbor. The problem is police abusing their authority and overstepping as usual. It needs yo be abpout the public they serve not abusing tehir authority because they feel their egos have been challenged. They are here to protect us damn it not the other way around.

Jb, you are so right.

Obama is a hate target for "law enforcement" types who probably view him as a younger version of Gates:

Mouthy.
Overeducated.
Uppity.
Smart ass.
Etc.

ICE, the "enforcement" arm of the behemoth Department of Homeland Security, actually put out false information about his aunt's case pending in Boston.

That was definitely to get back at him for some comment he made about their tactics during the campaign last year.

She apparently had an asylum case which went up on appeal and was remanded for further proceedings.
ICE leaked some information about this case, in violation of federal law, which renders all information about asylum applications confidential.

A lot of the posters on here are off duty cops loaded with disinformation they want to spread about "proper police procedure".

They want to pretend the Cambridge cops didn't know who Gates was and didn't know he was in his own house.

Guess what? They have advanced communications gear and can pull up his dossier at a flash: any criminal background, arrest records, conviction record, warrants, photograph, etc.

They knew he was in his own home and that's why they conned him in to stepping out on the front porch where they could claim he was "disturbing the peace".

Where Obama may be wrong is: I think the Cambridge cops would have done the same thing to a white professor who was "disrespecting" them.

I think they were more offended by Gates' apparent affluence (relatively speaking) and nice home in a very desirable location in Cambridge, than by his race, but it probably was a factor as well.

"Disrespecting police" and "mouthing off to police" are offenses for which a humiliating trip to the overnight lockup, in their interpretation and application of law, is warranted.

Never mind Gates was coming home at noon, was on a cane and elderly.

They didn't have a chance to sprinkle some alcohol down his shirt front or claim that he brandished something that "looked like a weapon pointed at them" as they do in some other instances.

It is an embarrassment that the cop involved is "teaching profiling " or somesuch to young officers.

It seems there should be a trial or proceeding of some sort at which the tick tock can be examined.

At most, I think Gates will be found to have committed the offense of "disrespecting the police" from the front hall of his own house , through a storm door.

He got off easy. They might have tasered him and put him in cardiac arrest.

Then the officer in question could demonstrate his revival skills.

Which apparently didn't work too well on the retired basketball star a ways back.

The guy died.

Personally, I love stupid cops. For 25 years I've worked for various law firms representing municipalities and a large part of our business has always been defending lawsuits where some stupid cop does something amazingly stupid.

When Officer Crowley makes a public apology for his actions, only then should PRESIDENT Obama even begin to think about making an apology of his own. This whole mess was Officer Crowley's making. A policeman's union trying to mix it up with the president is a higher form of disrespect than what Dr. Gates got.

He is not backing down, just softening his position and he's right. I support him. There was no profiling here as the cops were called in. Maybe the cop overreacted to an uppity negro but there was mo profiling so he's right. One thing is clear many cops do abuse their power and they need to be trained to treat people they encounter with respect before jumping to assumptions right away and treating people like crap like they often do by condemning people before knowing all the facts.

It's only just beginning folks. We are going to suffer mightily at the hands of this narcissistic novice unless we can tie his hands and remove him. The quicker we impeach The Obama Buffoon, the better America and the world.

People like the good and kindly Harvard professor make their living by 'being black'. Prof. Gates is selling and I stopped buying a long time ago. This country needs to move past race and racial issues for the betterment of everyone involved. But, as a white man, like JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis, I ain't taking my finger off the button first. When will the black leaders of this country see that the more they tout how black they are, the more white I become?? They sell out the future of their children by desperately clinging to the past. Why? Greed! And if by staying black first and calling it their culture, then they've made me white and and my heritage becomes my culture!! My interests. If black people want their interests protected, certainly they should understand that I would then share the same concern for my interests. They need to get past 'being black' and the haunting memory of slavery. Black people need to join the 21st century or they should accept white people's resentment of their behavior.

Holy Cow, onery! At least you know how to match your moniker to your personality. So where did you get the chip on your shoulder???

If Gates wasn't rich and Obama wasn't his friend,
this would not be an issue.

Thousands of poor blacks, hispanics, asians, etc are
hasseled by police on a daily basis and Obama doesn't say squat about it.

He is the biggest hypocrite ever.

For you who voted for him and are still jobless, how do you like him now?

Mr. President, I bet it felt good to lash out at the Cambridge Police Department during your Wednesday news conference, didn't it? Trouble is, now all the attention is on some professor from Harvard who didn't have the keys to his house instead of your desire to pass health care reform. Now that you've had a few days to think about it, do you think it was worth it to make those comments?

Let's just look at the facts. 1- WHITE ENTITLEMENT EXISTS STOP THE DENIAL 2- following blindly through 8 years & ignoring ignorance and stupidity 3 there are more important issues that should command this same attention. How about education, how about the pointless war that has driven& continues to drive this country into a record debt......Well I guess at least you people are paying close attention to what is happening now. And yes white, people, this would have been handled differently had this been a white person solely based on the color of his skin- accepting this FACT does not make you a racist so calm down....

So much nasty rhetoric and hate filled comments. For people to root against our president and his policies must truly hate this country if they want him to fail. Becuase guess what.... if he fails, WE ALL FAIL!

Remember the old right wing attacks, if you're not with us, you're against us.

This was a minor comment... he made a remark about something the DA obviously agrees with since the charges have already been dropped.

But you all can continue to back the officer even though his arrest was unwarranted in the eyes of the prosecutors.

He is not backing down, just softening his position and he's right. I support him. There was no profiling here as the cops were called in. Maybe the cop overreacted to an uppity negro but there was mo profiling so he's right. One thing is clear many cops do abuse their power and they need to be trained to treat people they encounter with respect before jumping to assumptions right away and treating people like crap like they often do by condemning people before knowing all the facts.

He is not backing down, just softening his position and he's right. I support him. There was no profiling here as the cops were called in. Maybe the cop overreacted to an uppity negro but there was mo profiling so he's right. One thing is clear many cops do abuse their power and they need to be trained to treat people they encounter with respect before jumping to assumptions right away and treating people like crap like they often do by condemning people before knowing all the facts.

I agree with the President's original assessment.
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Anyone with half a brain would have looked at the man's id., noted the address of the home, and figured, "Oh, oh - something's gotten really crossed up here. Maybe we should step back and rethink what we're doing."
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Trouble is, to paraphrase the old Zenith ad slogan, "the brain comes out before the badge goes on".
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People from all walks of life - not just law enforcement - will march triumphantly into "The Inferno" proudly proclaiming their correctness before they will admit a mistake. It's now the #1 "fear" in America.
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It takes big, big person to admit a mistake - and we live in a world of tiny people.
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What a completely idiotic remark by the president?

As a lawyer and politician, I would have expected Mr. Obama to be more careful with his words. He made the mistake of taking sides without knowing exactly what happened and what was said between the police officer and Prof. Gates. Now comes the spin for the rest of us chumbolones...

The facts spell out that Henry Louis Gates had not broken into his own home, but rather had keys that failed to open the front door. Next, he clearly identified himself as the homeowner to the policeman before any angry words were exchanged. Many of you believe we black men should defer to arrogant and abusive white cops that are clearly in the wrong, but when is the last time you were handcuffed in your home or elsewhere for no probable cause?
And for those of you who don't believe there's racial profiling, something all black male adults including Obama have experienced, I'd like to share these three personal experiences:

EXAMPLE ONE: As I traveled down the highway at 55 mph one Saturday afternoon last year in Atlanta. I noticed the white police officer on the shoulder of the road writing someone a traffic ticket. He glances at me as I pass by. Minutes later, as I still cruised along at 55 mph, the cop comes out of nowhere at 90 mph and is riding my bumper to run my license plates. The problem: I was driving while black in the bright new Corvette I owned.

EXAMPLE TWO: In 1996 after work in Minneapolis, I casually filled my gas tank at a gas station on a major four lane boulevard adjacent to a shopping center. To my amazement, a police car comes skidding up to me and the cop hops out with his gun drawn, yelling at me to put my hands up. Huh? Turns out that someone had reported a robbery in the area by a black guy in a red car. So I asked the officer who would be so stupid as to rob someone and then stand there in plain view of everyone casually filling the gas tank, he acknowledged that I had a point and holstered his gun. Pumping gas while black is even dangerous.

EXAMPLE THREE: I first got my driver's license at age 16 almost 40 years ago. Soon after, Chicago police pulled me over on Lake Shore Drive and I almost didn't make it to my 17th birthday. Somehow, although I was just 10 mph over the speed limit, the rookie cop pulled his gun on me as if I was public enemy number one. His partner, understanding how the Barney Fife rookie was making a terrible mistake, had him put the gun away and apologized to me. They wound up giving me a warning ticket and luckily, I didn't get shot.

Nice post ornery. Being rude to a cop is cause for arrest. This needs to stop, it's BS.

Where in the world are the presidents advisors ? They have to stop him from running off at the mouth . He is beginning to look like someone that has an opinion on everything , and is expert on nothing. Hard for a President to be an effective leader with that kind of ego. We really need him to shut up , and get to work. Photo op time is over.

Gates is the racist here and he displayed a complete and utter distain for law enforcement. The police where called there to protect his property.

To Mike: You are completely full of it and here's why:

1) The cop didn't pull you over he only followed you while he ran your plates. This happens to everyone driving through the South in a high-profile car.

2) The cop didn't arrest or shoot you, He only checked you out because he was investigating a robbery in the area by a black man.

3) You were a black teenager, you were speeding AND the cops DID NOT give you a ticket for speeding.

And for your information: Gates did break into his house AND he set off the burglar alarm.

Only a damn fool argues with a cop which explains why so many blacks have problems with cops:

I agree with the President's original assessment.
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Anyone with half a brain would have looked at the man's id., noted the address of the home, and figured, "Oh, oh - something's gotten really crossed up here. Maybe we should step back and rethink what we're doing."
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Trouble is, to paraphrase the old Zenith ad slogan, "the brain comes out before the badge goes on".
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People from all walks of life - not just law enforcement - will march triumphantly into "The Inferno" proudly proclaiming their correctness before they will admit a mistake. It's now the #1 "fear" in America.
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It takes a big, big person to admit a mistake - and we live in a world of tiny people.
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I think most posters here just love to blow out of proportion because it's Obama. Police arrive, situation gets out of hand. Obama says that man in own home shouldn't be arrested and the police acted stupidly for doing so. Now the haters call Obama a racist. What a joke. I sure hope that if I'm in my house, and I yell at the Police in a similar situation I'm not arrested - and so should you. Words from the cane bearing man never hurt anyone. Police should have stood there and taken the abuse. It might not be fair to the Police officer but at times it's part of their job to defuse situations just like this one. Everyone should just go back to their life and get on with things.

Because his keys couldn't open the door, he had to break into his house. He was seen breaking into his house. We all know that the door was stuck. That doesn't change the fact that he had to break into the house. That causes legitimate suspicion. His attempt to become the new Rosa Parks by claiming racism is falling on deaf ears. He became belligerent because he thought he was above being arrested.

Can't the Messiah just say he inherited this racial issue from the previous administration to cover his gaffe. It works on all of the other items he is screwing up.

When the president inserted himself into what should have been a local issue, it brought in the rest of the world. Were the participants racist? I don't see either as particularly so. Is the president racist? I hope not, but he sure framed it that way unnecessarily. Is this a drag on our society? Yes. How can this be defused? The president should be the first to apologize for his stumble into local affairs, and then he should ask both parties to shake hands and make amends as a favor to him. We and the press can then move on to other trivial matters.

A lot of critics seem to ignore that a reporter asked Pres. Obama to comment on this incident, and the first words out of his mouth were that he didn't know the specifics of the case and that Prof. Gates was a friend. Those facts qualified the rest of his statements, but people seem eager to denounce him nonetheless.

To John Brown: You may think Mike, a black man from Chicago, is "full of it," but as a white woman whose kids have married people of color, I can attest that my multiracial family is treated less courteously by waiters, cops and other service people than my white husband and I are treated when we go out alone. I see the bias firsthand; don't criticize unless you've walked in Mike's shoes.

I'm an ornery old white guy who has lived in Hyde Park pretty much the last 37 years.

I do believe I helped in a modest way get Obama known by some folk outside of Illinois back in early 2004.
Including some at Gates' place of employment, at a reunion in early June, 04.

I think Obama is the most electrifying political figure of my lifetime.

That said, I've represented police officers in years past some of whom have become friends.

And I've been around a few courtrooms from time to time.

So I've learned a little about how police operate and how they sometimes step out of line.

Which is not infrequently.

Like any other profession, there is a wide variety of people and some step over the line.

As I think this officer and his backup did in this case.

Gates might have said some intemperate things from his side of the storm door.

There may even be a tape or other recording someone made during the episode which hasn't surfaced yet.

"Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me...."

Does not seem to be taught at the police academy very well these days.

And as for Obama springing to Gates' defense:

Most people would do that where a personal friend is involved in any similar incident.

And maybe the right wingnuts' crapola about a "missing birth certificate" and demanding Obama "prove" he was born in Honolulu the way those two birth announcements in the Honolulu newspapers at the time state, made Obama sympathetic to Gates' being asked to "prove" he was standing in his own house.

There's some kind of symmetry there, don't you think?

"Stupid" actually was a kinder word than I would have used.

But then, I'm ornery.

It might be more accurate and less kind to say the "police procedure" here betrayed not a stupid mistake, but a calculated move to "put Gates in his place" for "mouthing off".

Which is why the superiors of the officers in question, so rapidly threw the whole thing out.

But since it's become so controversial, let's go to trial.

Let's have a hearing.

Bring forth all the electronic traffic, everyone's disciplinary history, and get the tick tock down on the record.

Gates, a diminutive elderly professor on a cane, might not have been a physical match for the officers.

But in court, that may be a different matter.

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Posted by: lecat | July 24, 2009 12:25 PM
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Actually, Obama had it largely right the first time. The facts he related in his Wednesday press conference were pretty much the way the police report read. (You have read the police report, haven’t you?) In which case, Barack Obama had no factual grounds to change his opinion in the matter (with the exception of the bit about “racial profiling”).
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The fact remains that police did not have grounds to arrest Mr. Gates and take him from his home. Gates was arrested for “disorderly conduct” based on his loud and angry words directed at the police. Like it or not, spouting off to the police is speech protected by the First Amendment - unless it consists of “fighting words,” inciting a riot, or otherwise threatens an imminent violent response. A man has a right to complain about what he perceives to be oppressive conduct, even if he is entirely mistaken. Mr. Gates’ loud words, uttered from the porch of his own home, did not involve fighting words or anything that might threaten an immediate violent response. As such, his behavior did not cross the line from protected speech to criminal behavior, and it did not provided grounds for arrest. In this sense, the arrest of Mr. Gates was truly “stupid.” I bet that if you asked any number of off duty peace officers (and even over a beer), they might tell you the same thing.
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The facts haven’t changed since Wednesday, in which case the actions of the police can still be classified as “stupid.” Thus, one should read Obama’s retreat from Wednesday’s position for what it is: Political mollification and damage control. He realized that what he said in public should have been reserved for his private remarks among confidants. It was poor judgment on his part to openly criticize police for their treatment of a friend, because he alienated a lot of police in the process. His current choice to eat a little crow was made to keep law enforcement people on his side. So, by all means, do not take Obama’s retreat at face value.

Obama's too proud to apologize for anything. Sadly. What business does he even have commenting on something about which he knows nothing? Okay, so he does that all the time, but still...
He needs to get over himself already, seriously!

“And for your information: Gates did break into his house AND he set off the burglar alarm.”
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Posted by: John Brown | July 24, 2009 12:59 PM
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Did you read the police report? The police report makes no mention of a burglar alarm. The police received report from a passerby with a cell-phone of two black men with back-packs attempting to force entry. Therefore, even if he did set off a burglar alarm (which is doubtful), that fact played no significant part in the conduct of the police.

"...this guy is a buffoon. Unfortunately, the country is going to continue suffering for his incompetence and narcissium."

Written by someone who supported eight years of Bush. Perhaps you've confused your presidents. By the way, learn to spell before you label someone as incompetent.

We shouldn't take Obama's back-tracking at face value, but we should define disorderly conduct by the freedom of speech amendment; all at face value. Talk about lawyer-ing it up. I have a question-- does Gates behavior fit the catch all disorderly conduct? does it fit freedom of speech? Hmmmm maybe that's why it was dropped. Unless those who split hairs for a living want to they can try to split this long hair into a definitive case. I'm assuming departments don't normally go through with such cases; opting out of the challenge they pose; can't waist resources on such cases. Honestly, if this arrest is so clear I hope Gates goes through with a lawsuit. I want to see what comes out of it. As someone who lives in a nationally recognized urban area, predominantly minority inhabited, who has been exposed to African American studies and race debates, who has experienced cop assholeisheness, and observed cop assholeisheness, would never stand on the side of the blue curtain (because I know it exists), I found it completely disheartening that Obama's inability to properly articulate the matter, as much as the passion, held a good cop, who made it his business to broaden his expertise by exploring race relations in his career field, out to be a bad apple. If I was that cop I would be crushed. What's worse is that should the blame that overreached be corrected...well he's just doing it for the blue curtain. Everyone knows that police discretion is an ugly beast anyone can mold to their liking. There is nothing stupid about the most important tool police have when faced with crime. The price for that tool is human error, tough calls, calls amidst hot incidents. Nothing about the cop plays him out to be motivated by race. Everything points to the price that comes with discretion and the position of authority.

John W and I agree completely, It doesn't happen often, so we must be right!

Remember what happened earlier in the week before everyone went crazy:

"Red-faced Cambridge officials on Tuesday dropped what they called "regrettable" charges against Harvard's most prominent black scholar, who was arrested at his home last week by a cop looking for a burglar.

The City of Cambridge issued a statement calling Gates' arrest on charges of disorderly conduct "regrettable and unfortunate."

Sounds like a bad arrest to me.

Obama is very smart. He is pulling the race card so we will take our attention away from his national health insurance.
If we lose this freedom of choice it might be almost impossible to get back.
Watch out for anything that will take our freedom of choice away from.
They might have our money, but they still don't have control over our souls.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

I think what Karen 7/24/09 @ 10:26 said makes sense to me and even if Prof. Gates is an overreacting person what happened to him should not have resulted in his arrest. The president did give a disclaimer about being a friend of Gates and looked at the sitation of anyone who knows about racial profiling and there is also sexual profiling that goes on with the police.

I say that to say this Gates could be wrong but on the other hand the police officer could also be wrong.

I think that this officer has very thin skin and his remark about "Your momma" sounds like something out of the Hood.

Remember people that racial profiling does go on and this looks somewhat like racial profiling.

Gates is a small middle aged man who walks with a cane and then to say the public was dissatisfied with the argument the public probably was 100% white and also have a 100% white lookout.

Someone in the bible said "I complained because I had no shoes until I saw someone with out feet.

If Gates is wrong he is wrong, if Obama is wrong he is wrong, but if the officer is wrong he is also wrong, union or not.

The case was dropped so the issue should also be dropped.

Gates plays the race card.

A wise Latina plays the race card.

Obama plays the race card, stupidly.

Maybe we need a deck of cards.

Obama is starting to crack, his disdain for whites is starting to show through. I'm not surprised at Obama's remarks, I'm surprised at his supporters pretending he's not a racist.

Gates a "racist?" Obama played the race card last week on national TV for all to see-- poor Barrack and his Harvard friend, the victims of racial profiling. The econically poor maybe, but let's finally release Barrack's academic records to see how much racial profiling (called affirmative action) got The One his Ivy League education.
Anyone who looks at the police report will realize we have a couple Harvard grad elitists with no respect for the rule of law or those trying to enforce it. Unfortunately, like the Duke lacross players, African American leaders are tempted to grab any opportunity to claim power and privilege from their "dreams" of offense. Never mind the Holocaust, extermination of America Indians. Japanese Internment, long history of African enslavement of Africans long before America.

Hey, Don. Good comment. Hope you enjoy your Klan meeting tonight.

Gladys, you're an idiot; along with our president. What a racist disgrace he is in choosing to attend a racist pastor's rants for many many years. Shame on the Sadaam Hussein Obummer voters!!!!

Holy mother of God, are these comments really representative of the beliefs of American people? Because that is a truly embarrassing display of ignorant white privilege.

I was taken aback by the fact that Obama used the term "stupid" because it was NOT the diplomatic thing to do, and he's an intelligent man. But he had the integrity to express himself honestly - with the disclaimers that he did not know all the facts, and with the up front acknowledgment that it was difficult to be objective, since this incident happened to a friend of his.

Seriously - you people believe that this would have happened to an old white guy? That the neighbour would have called in the report in the first place, or that he would then have been handcuffed for getting angry with the police?

It saddens me that so many people seem to have so much of a vested interest in trying to paint race out of this equation, and posit the existence of some post-racial America, where racial profiling does not exist. Open your eyes!