Really, Mr. President?

[AZhitman]

So now our President is an expert on police behavior?

Interesting that he speaks out on THIS incident, but what about the thousands of other incidents that occur every day?

Methinks our Commander-in-Chief needs to focus on bigger issues and keep his yap shut when he doesn't know what he's talking about:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onde...lskip

[Kohster]

He spoke out on this incident because he is a personal friend of his. I'm glad he called the cop stupid, it made me lol.

[marlin29311]

He spoke out on this incident because he is a personal friend of his. I'm glad he called the cop stupid, it made me lol.

Excellent analysis of the situation.

I think it's somewhat absurd. The officer was doing his job, and its clear through is record that he's not a racist or bigoted in any way, and the fact that the police union is fully backing him says something. Just because you're a different race doesn't mean you're allowed to be an ***hole to the police. A simple cooperation and showing that he was the owner of the home would have diffused the entire situation...

Seriously Obama? Worry about your s***ty healthcare bill that you want to pass without anyone knowing what's in it...

[AZhitman]

So, friends of the Prez get preferential treatment?

He's stupid. For sticking his nose into something that's none of his business, and not understanding that protocol was followed.

[VersaMG08]

Why does petty things like this even concern the president? He has bigger issues to deal with like getting our economy back up and running where it ought to be. Things like that should be dealt with at a lower level, it only makes him look opinionated.

[Kohster]

Its not like the man held a press conf just to call the cop stupid (though that would be hilarious). It was like the last question that was unrelated to the topic of the press conf, which was about healthcare and the faltering economy. And he's allowed to have an opinion, he's not a robot.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Wait wait wait.

We're shocked that a raging leftist is sticking his nose into local matters?

[hsckris]

So, friends of the Prez get preferential treatment?He's stupid. For sticking his nose into something that's none of his business, and not understanding that protocol was followed.

What is equally as bad if not worse is how BHO was discussing a history of profiling, etc. This was not a police stop, this was not profiling. The neighbor called the police after seeing two men attempting to break in. Gates should be thanking the neighbor and the police, not causing a fuss and acting a fool.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying anything about the racial aspects here or in police work generally. I'm just saying that, as usual, BHO's reply was stupid and unnecessary.

[smockers83]

Personally, the whole situation was not a good one. Gates kind of overreacted in playing the race card, the officer should have diffused the situation, and Obama should not have called out the officer.

[sbird1]

Good for the cop by refusing to apologize. Shame on the Harvard professor for playing the race card, and shame on BHO for opening his mouth on a subject matter that has NOTHING to do with what he was elected to do.

[heliochrome85]

oh, and GWB was elected for terry schaivo? oh cmon, this whole thread is ridiculous. The president was asked a question. If he said nothing, he would be criticized for being out of touch, if he said something, he gets criticized for being too nosy. I dont see anything wrong with what he said. But then again, im a flaming liberal.

[heliochrome85]

from what i can tell1.) a "neighbor" calls to say that a guy is trying to force his way into the house2.) the door is jammed, and Gates and his driver are trying to get it open3.) Police arrive, as the door is opened4.) they follow gates into his home, where he gets angry5.) he shows them his Harvard ID, and Drivers License to prove he lives there6.) He is arrested for Disorderly Conduct.

At what point is this a legitimate arrest? http://www.boston.com/news/loc....htmlh ... la...s.php

I would say this was a legitimate case of racial profiling. Given the number of Blacks in the Harvard community, its no surprise he might have been profiled.

Utah has alot of pakistanis?

[dusred]

The president was asked a question.

Where does it say that? It says his comment was bla bla bla. We don't know weather he was asked about it or weather he brought the thing up.

Quote »If he said nothing, he would be criticized for being out of touch, if he said something, he gets criticized for being too nosy.[/quote]lmfao!

Are you kidding!? The only thing Mr. Prez said anything is probably because Gates was a friend from Harvard. . . a black friend at that. Harvard men stick together, just in case you didn't know.

[C-Kwik]

I might note that NOONE here knows exactly what happened that night. While I do think its not something Obama should have commented on, we are not any different in offering rather opinionated judgements of him when we also do not know the full story. Perhaps it is we, who should be redirecting focus on the "bigger issues" rather than dwelling on such a minor incident. Or perhaps its convenient to be so critical of one who we want to see fail...

[heliochrome85]

Where does it say that? It says his comment was bla bla bla. We don't know weather he was asked about it or weather he brought the thing up.

http://www.politico.com/news/s....html

reading, its your friend. its not just for the educated liberals.

lmfao!

Are you kidding!? The only thing Mr. Prez said anything is probably because Gates was a friend from Harvard. . . a black friend at that. Harvard men stick together, just in case you didn't know.

i would say something, but your words are telling enough. congrats on being the top of your class.

[AZhitman]

he shows them his Harvard ID, and Drivers License to prove he lives there

reading, its your friend. its not just for the educated liberals.

Easy there, Prince Abooboo.

The article states he failed to produce his drivers' license, which would have showed he lived there.

If he was a jackass up-front to the officer, maybe he deserved a little inconveniencing.

Let's turn it around - Would he have accused a black cop of racism? Yet protocol dictates that ANY cop would do the same thing.

Oh, and Chano - I'd like nothing more than for our Prez to succeed, as we're sorely in need of some good leadership.

I could give a damn about the larger issue, because this small incident is simply a building block OF that larger issue. I'm sure both parties could have done things differently, but my beef is with the Prez putting himself in a precarious position. He SHOULD have said, "I don't really know enough about the situation to comment."

[heliochrome85]

its prince ababwa.

[AZhitman]

[heliochrome85]

I might note that NOONE here knows exactly what happened that night. While I do think its not something Obama should have commented on, we are not any different in offering rather opinionated judgements of him when we also do not know the full story. Perhaps it is we, who should be redirecting focus on the "bigger issues" rather than dwelling on such a minor incident. Or perhaps its convenient to be so critical of one who we want to see fail...

Is This the Instance of Police Misconduct to Obsess About?

by Conor Friedersdorf

Interesting as it is to speculate about Henry Louis Gates and the Cambridge Police Department, the attention the case is generating reflects an unfortunate feature of American public discourse: you've got someone like Radley Balko who spends the bulk of his career documenting the most grave instances of police misconduct imaginable -- including cases that involve the incarceration of innocent people for years on end -- and most of even the egregious cases he writes about never break into mainstream conversation, whereas a minor altercation involving a Harvard professor who isn't even being charged with a crime spawns wall-to-wall media coverage.

Isn't it notable that six months into his presidency, the most prominent advocacy President Obama has done on behalf of minorities mistreated by police is to stand up for his Ivy League buddy? Somehow I imagine that Professor Gates would've fared just fine absent help from Harvard's most prominent alumnus.

Whereas if President Obama spoke up at a press conference on behalf of people wrongly imprisoned due to "testimony" by police dogs, or advocated for those sexually assaulted by an officer, or spoke against prosecutors who block access to DNA testing, or called out the officer who choked a paramedic, or objected to the practice of police killing family pets, or asked the Innocence Project for a clear cut case of injustice to publicize...

I understand, of course, that Pres. Obama was asked about Henry Louis Gates, which is also part of the problem. Wrongly arrest a black men who happens to be a Harvard professor, release him without filing charges, and the national press corps asks the president to comment. Wrongly imprison for years on end a black man who happens to be working class and without celebrity, and the national press corps continues to utterly ignore a criminal justice system that routinely convicts innocent people. Apportioning blame for this sorry state of affairs isn't as important as recognizing that the news we get on these matters reflects a value system that is seriously flawed, and that news consumers bear blame for too.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlan....html

[Kohster]

I really give obama credit for having the testicular fortitude to state his opinion on this matter.

[nissan_star]

Methinks our Commander-in-Chief needs to focus on bigger issues and keep his yap shut when he doesn't know what he's talking about

Methinks that he needs to actually focus on ONE issue, instead of all problems at once. The first problem being a new bill tat disallows any bill that is over 300 pages long to be passed. Of course this bill would probably end up being 311 pages long so....

[BusyBadger]

I really give obama credit for having the testicular fortitude to state his opinion on this matter.

Its nice to see that the Oval Office can exert some pressure on the might of the Cambridge PD, we've all seen how he stood up to Iran and North Korea.

Maybe next he'll take on the major economic issues of the day and dictate how much the Girl Scouts sell those damned cookies for, as it stands now only the rich get a chance to have them in their cupboard.

[WDRacing]

I think the cop should have tazered the professor prior to the arrest.

[EazyBreazy]

I think the cop should have tazered the professor prior to the arrest.

LOL. I'm a firm believer that you shouldn't write a check w/ your mouth unless you're prepared to pay for it, and since the 1st amendment doesn't protect you from the repercussions of your speech.

[audtatious]

Obama just hates the Cambridge police I guess. Seems he had 17 unpaid parking tickets while going to school in which he didn't pay until he announced his Presidency. Seems in line with those in the Administration which didn't pay taxes....

http://somervillenews.typepad.....html

lolz

[EazyBreazy]

OBLUNDER just had a press conference saying that he wishes he could recalibrate his statement. lol Probably the closest to an apology one will get

edit finally found it lol

Obama calls white policeman who arrested scholarJul 24 02:53 PM US/Eastern

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has called the white policeman who arrested black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. The president says he believes the sergeant to be an outstanding police officer.

The president said Friday that he continues to think both the officer, Sgt. James Crowley, and Gates overreacted during the incident—but Obama also faulted his own comments. Making an impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing, Obama told reporters: "I could've calibrated those words differently."

The president caused a stir when he said at a prime-time news conference earlier this week that police in Cambridge, Mass., had "acted stupidly" by arresting Gates.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP)—The White House says the media's "obsessions" are keeping alive President Barack Obama's comments about the arrest of a Harvard scholar seen trying to get into his own house. Asked whether Obama regretted commenting on the matter, spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that the president probably would regret distracting the media with "obsessions." Gibbs says Obama has "great respect" for police officers and understands what a hard job they have. He also says Obama has said most of what he's going to say on the matter. When questioned Wednesday night about the incident, Obama said the Cambridge, Mass., police had "acted stupidly." In an interview a day later, he said "cooler heads should have prevailed."

http://www.breitbart.com/artic...cle=1


Modified by EazyBreazy at 12:42 PM 7/24/2009

[C-Kwik]

Oh, and Chano - I'd like nothing more than for our Prez to succeed, as we're sorely in need of some good leadership.

I could give a damn about the larger issue, because this small incident is simply a building block OF that larger issue. I'm sure both parties could have done things differently, but my beef is with the Prez putting himself in a precarious position. He SHOULD have said, "I don't really know enough about the situation to comment."

But he didn't. But the reality is, it is of no consequence by itself (unless he's actually making policy out of it). The Prez is only human afterall. Unless you actually believe he is the "Messiah."

The news is making a big deal of it. And people are allowing them to. If such things weren't so important to the people who read the news, it would never make any headlines. I'm all for calling out our leaders when they make mistakes. But this is a non-issue really. If this incident were to be discussed in detail then we should discuss the issue itself. Not a leader's personal reaction or opinion of it.

[audtatious]

The news will ever so slowly turn against him as they have Presidents in the past. Without drama they get less viewers. Realize reporters don't feel they report the news, they feel they must make the news to have a real story and become "famous"

[C-Kwik]

No doubt. But that's a reflection on the consumers of news. News agencies are just filling the demand...

[WDRacing]

The Media isn't around to provide us with factual up to date info, they exist to make them and their partners as much money as possible. Human nature itself has dictated dirty laundry as the most sought after "news".

To us the incident may be not worth caring about, but what about the Police? What kind of example does it set? The Supreme Leader of the free world called them stupid. That real good...inspiring even. Way to let his true colors shine through.

The simple factual truth here is that Obama F'd up and let his emotions speak. The entire world is watching this friggin country because we control the global financial market. So yeah...might wanna have a filter installed between your brain and mouth Big O.

Actually, I think this is all Bushes fault...maybe Palin can be drug under the bus some more.