NYC Letter: Reverse-O-bama, Part II

Day 186 of CHOPE

It took us a couple of days [to comment] because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak, you know? (Laughter.)

Mr. Obama,
explaining why he doesn't rush to judgment
NEWS CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON March 24, 2009 (White House)

WHO NEEDS FACTS?
Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Well, I should say at the outset that "Skip" Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts. ... They're reporting -- the police are doing what they should. There's a call, they go investigate what happens. My understanding is at that point Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in, I'm sure there's some exchange of words, but my understanding is, is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house. And at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct -- charges which are later dropped.

Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home...

[Mr. Gates was not arrested for being in his own home, he was arrested for disorderly conduct "after being observed exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior, in a public place, directed at a police officer who was present investigating a crime in progress".]

...and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.

Mr. Obama,
calling the Cambridge police stupid for doing what they should
and characterizing an arrest as racial profiling
all without basis in fact
NEWS CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON July 23, 2009 (White House)

Having spoken rashly, having commented without knowing the facts, Mr. Obama doubles down.

OBAMA DEFENDS CRITICISM
OF CAMBRIDGE POLICE IN ARREST OF GATES

July 23, 2009 (ABC News) - President Obama today stood by his comments that the Cambridge, Mass., police department acted "stupidly" in its arrest of Henry Louis Gates, telling ABC News that the Harvard University professor should not have been arrested. Mr. Obama:

I have to say I am surprised by the controversy surrounding my statement, because I think it was a pretty straightforward commentary that you probably don't need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane, who's in his own home. ... I think that I have extraordinary respect for the difficulties of the job that police officers do. And my suspicion is that words were exchanged between the police officer and Mr. Gates and that everybody should have just settled down and cooler heads should have prevailed. That's my suspicion.

Suspicions can be as good as facts. For example, we suspect Team Barry is clueless about its ruinous fiscal policies -- and that's a fact!

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS BLUNT WORDS
ABOUT CAMBRIDGE POLICE

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio July 23, 2009 (NYT) - The White House said Thursday that President Obama does not regret saying that the police “acted stupidly” in their arrest of the Harvard scholar, Henry Louis Gates Jr., last week in Cambridge, Mass., a dispute that has touched off a discussion about racial profiling in America. Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary:

Let me be clear: he was not calling the officer stupid, O.K.?

Ah, O.K. [Pause.] But that's not the issue. Our post-racial president characterized the issue as racist. By his own admission he didn't know the facts. Sometimes it isn't racism.

He said the president was simply saying that "at a certain point the situation got far out of hand, and I think all sides understand that."

COP WHO ARRESTED BLACK SCHOLAR IS PROFILING EXPERT

CAMBRIDGE July 23, 2009 (AP) - The white police sergeant criticized by President Barack Obama for arresting black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his Massachusetts home is a police academy expert on understanding racial profiling.

Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley has taught a class about racial profiling for five years at the Lowell Police Academy after being hand-picked for the job by former police Commissioner Ronny Watson, who is black, said Academy Director Thomas Fleming. Mr. Fleming:

I have nothing but the highest respect for him as a police officer. He is very professional and he is a good role model for the young recruits in the police academy.

BLACK OFFICER AT GATES HOME DURING ARREST
SAID SCHOLAR ACTED STRANGE, SUPPORTS ARREST

CAMBRIDGE July 24, 2009 (AP) — A black police officer who was at Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s home when the black Harvard scholar was arrested says he fully supports how his white fellow officer handled the situation.

Sgt. Leon Lashley says Gates was probably tired and surprised when Sgt. James Crowley demanded identification from him as officers investigated a report of a burglary. Lashley says Gates' reaction to Crowley was "a little bit stranger than it should have been."

Asked if Gates should have been arrested, Lashley said supported Crowley "100 percent."

POLICE UNION ASKS OBAMA TO APOLOGIZE
Union Backs Officer In Gates Incident

Next up -- Mr. Obama, who feels compelled to stumble through a non-apology.

I wanted to address you guys directly because over the last day and a half obviously there's been all sorts of controversy around the incident that happened in Cambridge with Professor Gates and the police department there.

... And because this has been ratcheting up -- and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up -- I want to make clear that in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically -- and I could have calibrated those words differently. And I told this to Sergeant Crowley.

[Mr. Obama said the "Cambridge police acted stupidly". If he was not maligning the "Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically" just what was meant by saying the "Cambridge police acted stupidly"? To which Cambridge police was Mr. Obama referring -- "specifically"? Mr. Obama here cannot man-up to his own speaking stupidly.]

The fact that it has garnered so much attention I think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America. So to the extent that my choice of words didn't illuminate, but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.

... My hope is, is that as a consequence of this event this ends up being what's called a "teachable moment," where all of us instead of pumping up the volume spend a little more time listening to each other and try to focus on how we can generally improve relations between police officers and minority communities, and that instead of flinging accusations we can all be a little more reflective in terms of what we can do to contribute to more unity. Lord knows we need it right now -- because over the last two days as we've discussed this issue, I don't know if you've noticed, but nobody has been paying much attention to health care. (Laughter.)

Mr. Obama,
regretting banjaxing his health care press conference
but not apologizing for misspeaking
WASHINGTON July 24, 2009 (White House)

Of course, knowing what he was talking about before he spoke would have spared Mr. Obama his non-apology. [Pause.] You know?

CHOPE.

Facts not included.

Posted by Damian at July 25, 2009 04:15 PM