President, professor, policeman: Talking

On the CNN video, they sure looked uncomfortable and staged

The Pres. and Gates , I think would be much more comfortable sipping fine wine at Penny Prizker's

I respect Gates and the officer but, The only guy there who would be any fun to drink with is Biden- at least he'd crack some jokes

Blacks have had a difficult time but so have the police who are often called names if they expect blacks to not call them names and accept the law.

Jews are called names too.

We all have a lot to learn.

Here's what they're drink'in kids.

Red Stripe - Knucklehead #1
Bud Light - Mr. President
Blue Moon (Coors) - The Man

I'm not a big fan of the Prez, but he recovered nicely from a very stupid public statement.

However, the fact that he was so willing to play the politically correct race card does, in my opinion, show his true colors (no pun intended)--he is a messenger of far left-wing, extremist politics, not the centrist that he fooled many into believing he was.

Wait a minute!

A red beer? A blue beer?? & Obama's beer was the darkest???

I'm sure FOX, the last bastion of media not run by the state will report on this so you can decide.

3 guys having a beer? Umm, I see 4 in the picture.. Maybe 3 guys and a child...

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS JOE DOING HERE? Are they NUTS? (Oh, and what is he having?) You know, they didn't have to go through all the trouble of making this look "even." Theses day's it's OK to have two black men sitting with one white man, especially when one of the black men is the President. Kinda Hallmark-ish.

"But on FOX and Friends, a morning program of the FOX News Channel this week, FOX commentator publicly called Obama 'a racist.'"

>> Yes, and the reason why such overzealous comments get so much consideration is the fact that they're reiterated in other news media. Don't give Fox News commentators undue influence by propagating their opinions.

I'm glad to see that Crowley knows how to drink a Blue Moon. The orange is mandatory. Otherwise, he would be drinking his beer stupidly.

Much has been written and broadcast in recent days regarding the now notorious arrest of Professor Henry Gates by Sergeant Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department. Unfortunately, most have only addressed the claims which have been raised of racial bias by the police. What has been missing almost entirely from the national dialogue is an analysis of the controversy with respect to the requirements of the United States Constitution. Therefore, allow me. The first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution are the great "Bill of Rights". In these amendments our founding fathers gave protections to the people by limiting the powers of government. The Fourth Amendment, which limits the police powers of the government, states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

The legal analysis begins at the beginning, with the phone call to the police from an ordinary person reporting suspicious activity at Professor Gates' house. The law calls such a person a "citizen informant". A citizen informant is a person who gives information to the police for no other reason than to be a good Samaritan. As a consequence, the law presumes that information provided by them is trustworthy. However, what exactly did she say? This is a crucial point because determining whether the police actions were justified will depend greatly upon whether the information they received would lead a reasonable police officer to believe that that a crime could be occurring.

The reports of what the good Samaritan told the police has changed over the days. The police report of Sgt. Crowley contains errors. It states that she saw two black males, with backpacks, possibly trying to "break in" the front door of Professor Gates' house. However, it has now been revealed that she actually reported no such thing. She did not say the men she saw were black. She also made no reference to "backpacks". Initially, she not even refer to their race. Only when pressed for further detail did she say to the 911 operator that "one looked kind of Hispanic, but I'm not really sure." Regarding the other man, she said, "I didn't see what he looked like at all". Therefore, the police had no reliable information whatsoever regarding what the alleged perpetrators looked like. Importantly, she also said that she saw suitcases, which even she recognized as indicating that the men she saw could actually live there.

The house and time of day are also relevant. The house is a single-family home in a residential neighborhood. The front door squarely faces the street, and is easily seen by passers-by. According to the police report, the call came in between noon and 1:00 p.m., around lunchtime.

In these circumstances, the first question a law-enforcement officer should ask him or herself is how likely was it that two men carrying suitcases would be breaking into the front door of a house in a respectable neighborhood, in broad daylight, in open view of people walking by. The answer is important is because courts will always consider the "totality of the circumstances" when determining whether police actions were justified. For instance, consider a call coming into the police at midnight that two men were trying to get into a house through a rear window. Obviously, there would be no question that the police would be correct in reasonably assuming a crime was in progress. Even if it strangely turned out that the home's rightful owner was trying to get into his house, no one would question that the police would rightly assume a crime was in progress and approach the scene with guns drawn and fearful for their own safety. Obviously, circumstances can make an important difference. While it is not impossible that someone could have been breaking into Gates' front door in broad daylight, is that likely?

What did Sgt. Crowley observe when he arrived on the scene? This is important because if the information supplied by the citizen informant cannot be corroborated by the independent observations of the police officer, the value of the information is suspect. He did not find "two" black males, or two males of any persuasion. He did not find a "Hispanic" male, as had actually been reported. There is no report that he saw any backpacks. All he observed, looking into the house through a glass paned door, was a 58 year-old diminutive black man. There is no indication that this man was engaged in any suspicious activity, or trying to conceal himself. Therefore, nothing observed by Sgt. Crowley had either corroborated the initial report of the good Samaritan or provided him with any independent knowledge that a crime was committed. (Sgt. Crowley's own report indicates that Professor Gates "appeared to be a resident").

Sgt. Crowley, who had by now been joined by Officer Figueroa, had no legal right either to enter or remain in Professor Gates' house without permission. Professor Gates was under no obligation to answer questions or to produce any identification. The police inside his house were interlopers. The Supreme Court has said, "the Fourth Amendment has drawn a firm line at the entrance to the house. Absent exigent circumstances, that threshold may not reasonably be crossed without a warrant". [Payton v. New York]. Exigent circumstances means true emergencies such as pursuing a fleeing felon, preventing imminent destruction of evidence, preventing a suspect from escaping, or preventing imminent harm to innocent parties. Of course, a person of is always free to voluntarily relinquish these rights and invite the police into their home, and answer questions, if they so choose. But it is very clear that Professor Gates never invited the police into his home, and by responding to Sgt. Crowley's request that he come outside by saying "no I will not", voluntarily relinquished nothing. Over 100 years ago the Supreme Court said, "No right is held more sacred, or is more carefully guarded, by the common law than the right of every individual to the possession and control of his own person, free from all restraint or interference of others, unless by clear and unquestionable authority of law." [Union Pacific v. Botsford]. Massachusetts courts are in accord. "The right of police officers to enter into a home, for whatever purpose, represents a serious governmental intrusion into one's privacy. It was just this sort of intrusion that the Fourth Amendment was designed to circumscribe" [Commonwealth v. Kiser].

Had the police simply withdrawn, this saga would have faded away. However, other officers arrived on the scene in a show of authority and Professor Gates, protesting loudly and possibly offensively, was arrested for disorderly conduct in front of his own house. Was this charge legitimate? Under Massachusetts law disorderly conduct is defined as behavior which is either fighting, threatening, violent or tumultuous. Only the "tumultuous" category might apply to the acts alleged by Sgt. Crowley against Professor Gates. The meaning of tumultuous is therefore all important. Tumultuous behavior is "characterized as involving riotous commotion and excessively unreasonable noise so as to constitute a public nuisance". [Commonwealth v. Zettel]. Professor Gates' actions could hardly be deemed tumultuous. The arrest was unjustified.

ROBERT PASIN
Attorney at Law
Coral Springs, Fla.

Can we put this story to bed now? We all know profiling exists .... not all police officers profile. ... I was profiled and harassed for my very short haircut (I'm a female - ) - the judge chastised the officer in front of the court (I challenged the bogus ticket). What would have happened today in Utah had the little boy driving the sports car (the boy wanted to avoid church) had been black? I can only imagine. To the press, stop writing and talking about the Cambridge caper. You're wasting airwaves and paper - except that the only person with a lick of sense is the woman who called 9-11 - the one without testosterone.

This piece was great, I was actually laughing out loud at the last few lines.

So what kind of beer was it?

As Willem Neerfeldt (the founder of Grolsch Beer) said..."what a crock"

Trust me - the longer ANYONE takes this seriously the longer it will go on.

Ergo - have a good laugh and move on with your lives.

Besides - when bo and skip get together on Martha's Vineyard next month they will have some yuks about this over their Chablis.

Trust me

Robert the attorney from Florida - I know I speak for all of us, well maybe not all, maybe a few, maybe ...

Anyway - just relax and it will go away.

In the midst of this midsummer goofiness let's all remember that about 15 years ago Celtics' star (at the time) Reggie Lewis collapsed with a heart attack in a gymnasium in Boston. There was a (white) police officer there at the time and he administered mouth to mouth resuscitation to Mr. Lewis, who was black, in a vain attempt to save his life.

Who was that officer? Guess who.

And let's not forget that the Supreme Court in its wisdom once legalized slavery.

A few years from now I fear that this summer will be remembered for three things - the absurd weather, the death of Michael Jackson and this absurd little adventure.

Is this a great country or what?

PLEASE don't tell me that I'm the only person who finds this funny.

I watched the Trib's video. Hilarious -- a heap of reporters taking HUNDREDS of pictures of 4 guys drinking beer. Wow, big day for ya, eh guys?

The rabid and drooling response from the lunatic right-wing fringe, as embodied by Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin, simply can't be blown out of proportion with regards to analyzing our society at large. The race-baiters on the right were going to react this way to Obama no matter what, and with every day that passes that small little batsh*t crazy group that the GOP calls a "base" is growing more and more isolated from mainstream America.
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http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/parsing-the-polls/21-percent.html

So, the very same angry old rich white guys who run the GOP, the one's who have been cultivating their followers to follow their base instincts such as race baiting xenophobia, war mongering, promoting torture as US policy, and giving the wealthy continuous socialistic support, now want us to believe that Pres Obama is racist against white guys? Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

The image that's driving the Republican racists batty is the image that the Obama family presents. They defy all of the black stereotypes. They are attractive, intelligent, well educated, friendly and pleasant. They are the kind of family that most people would like to have as next door neighbors. That really upsets the right-wing lunatic fringes racist apple cart.

It's no wonder the Repugs can't win elections anymore.

I want what's left of the Republican base to lap it all up with their hatred of minorities here.

The Republican leadership playing to what's left of their Wingnut base will only alienate swing voters and pound a few more nails into the GOP's Electoral prospects.

If Professor Gates would have had a gun and had started shooting up things, all the while claiming that he was "defending his house", the Wingnuts would be drooling all over him with praise.

This nonsence will only rebound to the Republican's detriment for some time to come....again.

I'm not surprised in the least that the Repugs are trying to blow up this non-issue with their usual fake outrage - Yawn.

Repugs have no ideas, no viable legislative proposals and they have a core constituency who actively wants them to do nothing except disrupt and delay.

That leaves crap-stirring and carping. It's all they have left.

If an individual can drink beer with the president of the United States at the White House after racially profiling an African American Scholar, what do you suppose it will take to meet and discuss the Black-on-Black murders in America?

Keep trying Terry, but the Reggie Lewis story, if true, really isn't relevant. Crowley was smooth and gracious in his little press conference; gald to see it; I join Prof. Gates in forgiving him for making a stupid arrest, and we should all be glad the charges were dropped.

Did you see how many photographers were there? Almost as many as when Britney Spears goes clubbing. Wow.

Imagine you approach your front door with a friend of yours and find it locked. You try turning the key but cannot get in. Eventually you pry your way into your home. Moments later the police show up. That ask you to provide identification that you are the owner of this home.

How difficult is that?

Let's say you live in a nice neighborhood and you see two gentleman trying to pry their way into the front door of your neighbor's house.

Would you call the police?

Let's say you're a police call and you get a 911 call about a pair of men prying their way into a house in a nice neighborhood. When you arrive two gentleman are inside the house.

Do you ask them for ID?

It's called common sense people, not everything is about race. Get over the color of your skin already!

Pres Obama has no need to worry because Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck and the rest of the right-wing whackjobs have taken this non-issue and made the case FOR the Democratic party with more enthusiasm and insanity than most of us could ever dream of doing.

I mean, could I ever hope to make the case for single-payer medical insurance better than Bill "the bloody" Kristol, Michael "hiphop makeover" Steele, and his sidekick Joe" "not a real" "Plumber already have?
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http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/kristol-admits-stewart-government-run-h

Not to mention Jeff "where's my formal white sheet" Sessions

The entire clownish cast of the C Street "bible" mafia

Senator Hushmoney Ensign

Governor Lovestruck in Argentina

Rep. Michelle BachmaCrazyspeak

Rush "Oxy" Limpbaugh

Diapers Vitter

Dick (and I mean DICK) Cheney

Junior Dick "call me Liz" Cheney,

Sarah "also" Palin,

Gramps "what was I thinking?" McCain,

And the best argument for Democrats in forty years:

George Dubya Bush - a man who showed the entire world exactly what the Republican party would do to America when entrusted with the White House, both houses of Congress, and a majority on the supreme court - steal from it, destroy it from within and kill it's citizens in phony wars for profit.

A network could turn the 2009 Republican party into a sitcom and it would be hilarious.

I am very disappointed Sgt. James Crowley went along with this PR stunt.

He should have just informed Obama that the incident was over, it was never a big deal - just an instance of a police officer coming in to contact with a man in a foul mood, who mouthed off and was abusive.

The world doesn't revolve around Harvard professors, even ones who claim to be tight buddies with Obama and who summer on Martha's Vineyard with the elite of the elites.

It's over, move on, it was never a big deal...

500 plus annual murders in Chicago, now that is a big deal.

Personally, I don't think the president should have ever been involved in this situation. He shouldn't have answered questions about it, he certainly shouldn't have given his stupid answer, and he shouldn't be holding beer summits to resolve something as insignificant as this. All it can do is come across as disingenuous to all perspectives involved.

What Obama really needs to do is address that simple fact that the Black American's play the race card every time they ignore the law. Professor Gates is a ignorant coward. Is this what he teaches his students???? Play the race card when you are wrong? It's no wonder most of the black american people can't get over this race issue. I don't care what anybody says, but in my experience BLACK AMERICANS ARE THE RACISTS! And that's the truth. I wish they can't just get ride of those cowards Rev Jackson and Sharpton and the NAACP.

I Find this a was of time. The media put this on the forefront and painted the incident racial. Obama fueled the incident by calling "stupidly". He made more racist. This beer summit again is media driven. This is a waste of my tax money and the wast of why we voted Obama in. No wonder his numbers are going down.

SP

I have to make a few points.

ONE: The lady who called the police based on what she observed DID THE RIGHT THING.

TWO: It was NOT a case of racial profiling.

THREE: The professor was probably very irritated from his trip and the fact that his place had previously either been broken into or into which someone had attempted to break into it.

I believe all of that WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

FOUR: The police officer got irritated with Gates and lured him outside his home to "discuss the matter further" (my words, his sentiment) if the good professor wanted to do so.

This was just a ploy to get the professor into a "public space" into which his "outrage" could be charge with "disorderly conduct."

The prosecutors knew instantly what the officer had done and so they summarily dismissed the charges.

5. Obama was "unwise" to call the police "stupid," but that doesn't mean the officer "acted wisely."

He had NO CHANCE of getting his arrest charge to stick - it was "silly" at best.

6. The worst part of it is that the officer put yet another black man behind bars. For what? For calling him a "racist"?

7. People on the Right who respect and demand free speech and want to be able to call Obama a "racist" should applaud the fact that the police are not able to arrest someone for calling someone else - even a police officer - a "racist."

Thank you. And now let's get back to getting this economy back on track.

Four years ago I saw the movie Crash which showed the virtual tinderbox of race relations that existed in our country. Today, sadly, race relations are not any better, despite a Black President. The overwhelming outpouring of letters posted to this site and many others after the President’s comment about the Gates incident clearly indicated that we also have not come any further than we were after the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial was announced sixteen years ago with Blacks celebrating and Whites in stunned disbelief. Each side has their own views about race and sometimes, oftentimes, even while perceptions may not be true, perception for that race becomes reality.

One thing I know for certain is that someday life on our planet will end but it will not be because we did not do enough about climate change. It will be because we did not do enough to change the climate of hatred, bigotry, anger, mistrust, hopelessness, and despair. Whether in our own country, the Mideast, or in many countries around the world, we are more concerned about what divides us instead of the things we have in common that can bring us together.

The past two weeks I spent several hours reading postings about the Obama/Gates comments and on Israeli media sites about the Arab Israeli conflict. I came away after reading hundreds of letters feeling very sad about my fellow human beings. If we could only bottle half of the energy we expend hating and mistrusting others and use it to fight disease, poverty, and hunger, this world would be a lot better off. Before we worry about climate change let’s concentrate on changing the climate about working together to make this planet we inhabit a wonderful life for everyone.

Hmmm. According to some reports: Gates changed his beer, not his story. (Sam Adams was more "authentically" Bostonian. That's for the ex-academic poster who cited the often taken "quest for heritage" amongst a people who are neither African and neither American, which he alleged Gates to--. Bidden reportedly went with Bucklers.) I'll be the one person, Terry. In half-measure. Though this IS completely put on and comical circa stepford wife sitcom, to say the least, you sense the lack of harmony, and you're not even there. Choreographed and forced. However, I think it was necessary for this big-deal out of nothing to appropriately commence in a big-deal about nothing. It's the appropriate ending to a story that is often told without one. It also provide a national example on how to deal with the aftermath of such idiocy/hot topic. They really should keep in contact. Gates has the history of race behind him, and Crowley has the what makes sense in applying it, from personal experience, to move forward. They should not go back to wallowing in their respective circles. Obama is another story. Next up in healthcare energy immigration economy and two wars....

Good for the president. It's refreshing to have a commander in chief who first recognizes his human error and then acts to mitigate the consequences. Its been a while since we had that leadership quality in the white house.

Initially, I thought this was a corny idea, but I think it's great that Obama invited Crowley and Gates for a chat. Honestly, Obama has been influenced far too much by people who are prejudiced against working-class Whites. By prejudiced, I mean that they have pre-judged working-class Whites as racist and evil. This is the attitude that has led to the definition of working-class White neighborhoods as "unfair housing", leading to the ethnic cleansing of many, many ethnic White neighborhoods.

Let's all have a group hug now...

To Robert the lawyer:

Your logic fails on multiple counts. First, you assume that 'a person in a house' has a right to anything. They do not, until they have proven that it is their house. Even then, if the house is rented, leased or under other contract, further investigation by the Police is always required. Second, Mr. Gates refused to provide identification. It would be a lovely world indeed if all a burglar had to do was print up a Cambridge ID rob a house and say he lived there. Third, there are 1000 different scenarios where people have an ID with an address in which they have NO RIGHT to be on the property. Fourth, had Mr. Gates yelled from his window that he hated police, danced a dance or flipped the gathering crowd off, he COULD NOT have been arrested. Instead, he chose to LEAVE his house to further his racist rantings. The Police did not drag him outside. They did not pull him out. He went out on his own. And once he left his doorway, he could be arrested (I am sure that you, being a lawyer, know full well that an open air porch is considered accessible by the PUBLIC and thus is not covered as part of your home for the purposes of ANY legal ruling, namely that an area, accessible to the public, without deterent or signage specifically stating access is part of your PROPERTY but not YOUR HOME.) Thus Mr. Gates leaving his house to further his racist comments allowed him to be arrested and he was. Perhaps you missed those parts of the law.

So why wasn't Homer Simpson invited with his Duff Beer? Perhaps because of prejudice toward cartoon characters?

Classic liberal claptrap. Style over substance everyday. Obama doesn't have the class or the b***s to admit he shot his mouth off without knowing the facts. This, from our Community Organizer in Chief.

Terry,

Agreed.

Pasin Esq,

That last sentence (4 words) would have been sufficient. Are you on the clock?!

Accept it...Obama made a "boneheaded" mistake.

The fact that Obama is a lawyer makes this story just worse. He is no better than any of the left/right wing bloggers/spewers/etc. He's smart enough to know that as soon as he admitted "I don't have all the facts" he shouldn't have said a word. He seems to not understand that his words carry weight - in Russia, Venezuela and yes, even here at home.
If he wanted to point out something really significant why didn't he say something about the Chicago police officer who was torturing black suspects into admissions. Why didn't he criticize the white State's Attorney who never brought charges (the current Richard M. Daley)???
He's an empty suit, just another politician and in way over his head. He should be back in the state legislature where he can do less harm to us all.

All so as to pat Officer Crowley on his head and sooth the hurt feelings of law enforcement officials everywhere who evidently see bullying as a key part of their profession.

It would have been remarkable had Obama simply stood his ground.

Ludicrous doesn't even begin to describe this entire debacle, caused solely by an over-reacting president who cannot be trusted to speak without a prepared script. Pardon me while I barf.

The president had no business answering...giving an opinion....getting involved in something about which he knew nothing. Then, to try and 'make nice' to invite (they couldnt say no) these people to 'have a beer'. I assume they met outside so that everyone could spectate, otherwise in this hot weather, most decent people who invited guests would greet them inside in the air conditioning. Wow, talk about low class.

Joe Biden doesn't need beer to be less than appropriately inhibited verbally! The other three men deserve credit; we do too little listening to one another. "Mullah Limbaugh," btw, is a case in point. The hateful rhetoric of the Far Left is no more helpful than that of the Far Right.

News Flash -- forget the beer party -- Cash for Clunkers program is being suspended! WOW that was fast. And these are the people you want dealing with HEALTHCARE????

I'll pass.

This whole situation is ridiculous, but I was just wondering about the cost/benefit analysis the
WH must have done re including Biden. I mean, Biden seems like a decent enough guy, but the odds of him saying something stupid/inappropriate are far greater than him adding anything insightful.

What a joke! None of this would ever have been necessary if Gates wasn't walking around with such a huge racist chip on his shoulder, and if Obama had enough good sense to think before stuffing his foot in his mouth. Evidently Biden is starting to rub off on him.

The summit went well, everyone made nice, the press had their requisite field day...

Can we stop paying attention to this nonsense?

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Forget all that race relations stuff! You've answered the great burning question of the day: What was Joe Biden drinking?

DID CROWLEY AND GATES HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR BEER? LOL!!!

White House makes CEOs pay for lunch
politico.com/news/stories/0709/25627.html#replyform

"...but I was just wondering about the cost/benefit analysis the
WH must have done re including Biden." Posted by: Herbie H.

Simple. Rather than having Crowley sitting between 2 dark-skinned men, they added the talkative Biden--an Irishman--for Crowley's comfort. With no microphones, what harm could he do?

Gates didn't learn anything. Obama I believe learned to shut up when he doesn't know what he is talking about.

Crowley didn't learn anything, he already knew what kind of man Gates was.

I'm ready to upchuck!, this is so phony I don't believe my eyes, One big happy family. Give me a break, their all wrong in one way or another, first Nobama put his foot in his mouth, second the Professor shot his mouth off crying Racism and thirdly the cop should have stood his ground and told them both off, its really sickening this whole mess, everyone tries so hard to be politically correct, racism is a double edge sword, and should work both ways. But it seems to me its people like Wright, Jackson,
Waters, Sharpton, and the Professor that bring this subject up.
This whole thing would go away if these people just would not stir the pot. But without that they would not be in the news.

The real teaching moment: we have a President that acts stupidly! His comment on an issue that he should never have commented on in the first place was just one more example of his stupidity. Other examples include

His signing of a stimulus package that he never read or had others read, and then castigating those at AIG that received bonuses for their performance in areas unrelated to what caused the company to be bailed out.

His support of a health care plan that is nothing more than a Government takeover of private insurance providers, partially funded by restricting Medicare coverage.

His takeover of the automobile manufacturers in this country and the heavy handed screwing of the secured creditors in his Administration's bankrupcy plan.

His acquiesence to Chavez and his support of the Hunduran President who was attempting to ignore the country's constitution and make himself President for Life like Chavez.

His failure to back the citizens of Iran when they protested the election results in their country, knowing full well that the election was rigged.

I could go on, but the fact of the matter is that Obama and his political team are well on their way to making Jimmy Carter look like the second worst President in the last 50 years!

I think what people don't understand is that everyone says things the wrong way. It's just that when the President does it, the consequences are amplified by a million. Wouldn't it be nice if we could solve more problems like this though?
runescape money

I disbelieve disgusting Disbeliever.

I think the President has a lot of sources of information at his disposal and knew a lot more of the "facts" when he made the remark about police "acting stupidly".

I think his sources probably had given him enough information to support a much harsher statement:

Police acted deliberately and intentionally to try to humiliate someone who had the termerity to "mouth off" to them and ask for a name and star number.

So he was being charitable by characterizing it as a stupid mistake, rather than a deliberate act.

That said, the whole attack on President is very like the "bittergate" right wing attack.

When he made remarks about, who was it, the Appalachians who've been screwed royally, clinging to their guns and religion.

Actually, that was a pretty accurate statement as well.

But this President really can't be heard to criticize any group identifiable with the white majority.

That includes police.

Also rural gun owners and rural churchgoers.

So, this is the second little reminder that although a goodly segment of white America loves him, the President really can't have another "bittergate" or another "stupidgate".

Just follow that simple rule, and he'll be re-elected handily.

Atty Pasin, thank you for the citations and court decisions that make it absolutely clear that Sgt. Crowley stepped out of line and that Gates was well within his rights.

There are some further issues, however, that are troublesome, including "doctoring" the police report by adding the references to "black men with backpacks" etc.

My guess is Crowley's lawyers are now trying to "cut a deal" with the professional standards people, that if he'll "apologize", there won't be any further investigation of what really happened in this disgusting little episode of bad behavior.