Well, the public asked for it, and eight years later their wishes were granted – a president they could share a beer with. As President Obama meets tonight with Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Dept. and Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. for a beer, talk continues to ensue about the issue of race in America. Personally, there is no doubt in my mind that there is an issue – the apparent wish of well-known figures such as Obama and Gates to inflame a simple misunderstanding into a nationwide racial slur. Apparently, Gates, upon being asked to provide identification before the arrest, became aggressive and verbally attacked the officer, even going as far as referring to Crowley’s mother. When Gates finally exited his house, a measure requested by Crowley for his own safety, he continued to act in a manner ill befitting a man of higher learning, leaving the officers no choice but to place him under arrest. In the first place, this should never have been an issue! Gates was completely within his right to enter his home, but when the police arrived, the proper procedure would have been to cooperate, show identification, explain the situation, file a report, and let it go. Instead, by his actions Gates has opened the door for comments by others, such as “I believe the Cambridge police acted…stupidly.” President Obama's statement alone, especially after he had already admitted to not knowing all the facts, shows to some degree a desire to make a larger issue of this than necessary. Even Obama’s “apology,” in which he stated that he “calibrated his words badly,” does nothing to defuse this situation. And the last resort of diplomacy? A beer at the White House. Seriously people, this is not even an issue in which the President need be involved.
