Some random thoughts:
1. Seems to me that this would be a perfect time for someone to break into Henry Louis Gates home. Do you really think he or a neighbor is going to call the Cambridge police for help?
2. Obama "apologized" that with "my choice of words I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically". Two thoughts here: First of all, if that was not your intent in saying they "acted stupidly", what exactly was your intent? It seemed pretty clear when you said it. Secondly, by now using the word "impression" Obama is implying that anyone who interpreted "acting stupidly" as an insult and/or a condemnation is at fault for drawing that conclusion. He is essentially saying "how could anyone have that impression?" In others words, I didn't make a mistake, the public did.
3. I'm a bit conflicted whether the Cambridge cop (Sgt. Crowley) should go to the White House to meet with Obama and Gates. Again two points: First, there is no question that Obama and Gates see this as a teaching moment about racial profiling. They have said so. In other words, they are saying that Sgt. Crowley was indeed profiling Gates, even if he was not. Or even sneakier, they are saying that even if Sgt. Crowley was not racial profiling, for the sake of making this a teachable moment, we're going to pretend that he was. That is an insult to Sgt. Crowley and he should not walk into that trap. Secondly, this has become a political issue now that Obama has weighed in with his own "stupid" remarks. Crowley is a professional, and he should maintain his professional status by not accepting what is basically a photo propaganda session. The only person who can win with this meeting is Obama, the One who poured gas on the fire. Okay, maybe I am not so conflicted about this.
4. Obama's observation of the incident between Gates and Crowley was that cooler heads should have prevailed, presumably that they were both at fault. That is debatable; but couldn't Obama make the same observation about his own remarks? When originally asked the question at the press show, Obama easily should have said "no comment". That is what cooler heads would have done. Just because he is our first black president does not mean he has to make pronouncements about any and every event that involves a black person. In the name of NOT racial profiling, not all blacks think and act the same, so Obama does not speak for or represent all black people.
5. It's been reported that Obama had 15 unpaid parking tickets from the Cambridge police when he attended Harvard Law School back in the early 90's. He did not pay the tickets ($375) until about a month before he announced his run for the presidency. I think that tells us a lot about this man.
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