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Washington - Obama Addresses Gates Controversy, Calls Arresting Officer |
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“I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently,” Obama told reporters.
At his primetime press conference Wednesday, Obama said the police “acted stupidly” in arresting Gates in his own home. The officer, Sgt. James Crowley, said in media interviews Thursday that he acted appropriately.
Obama said he spoke directly with Crowley today and has extended an invitation to meet with the officer.
However, the president did not back away from his other remarks on racial profiling in America. “The fact that it has garnered so much attention, I think, is testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America,” he said.
“I continue to believe that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station,” he said. “I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well.”
“My sense is you’ve got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way it should have been, or the way they would have liked it to be resolved,” the president said.
Obama further rejected the criticism that as president he should not have weighed in at all. “That I disagree with,” he said. “Race is still a troubling aspect of our society. Whether I were a black or a white, I think me commenting on this and hopefully contributing to constructive as opposed to negative understanding about the issue is part of my portfolio.”
The president expressed frustration that the controversy has distracted from the conversation he’d rather be having. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but nobody’s been paying much attention to health care,” he quipped.
Obama apologizes.
Earlier today Police asked Obama for an apology
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Read Comments (30) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:06 PM Rippin Pinchas Says:
“The fact that it has garnered so much attention, I think, is testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America”
The dued tried to break into a house in the night. He acted like a jerk. Obama probably spoke to Jesse Jackson before he made those stupid remarks.
2
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:14 PM CR Says:
Mr. President,
WADR, any statement you make that begins with "I do not have all the facts..." should immediately end with "...and I will withhold judgement until they are available." Full. Stop. Anything else is beneath the dignity of your office.
3
Jul 24, 2009 at 02:59 PM Anonymous Says:
This shows what a real mentch Obama is. Can you imagine bush ever apologizing about anything?
4
Jul 24, 2009 at 02:55 PM Anonymous Says:
To me it seems that Obama was himself guilty of racial profiling in this case. Hypocrisy, you bet.
5
Jul 24, 2009 at 02:46 PM Anonymous Says:
I can't believe this guy got elected for president.
6
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:39 PM Anonymous Says:
i'm glad obama apologized, but he should have never mixed into this issue in the first place.
7
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:38 PM Never Admit I'm Wrong Says:
Obamaspeak: “I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently"
Man of Truth speak:: "I intentionally maligned the Cambridge Police Department and Sgt. Crowley specifically, and I should not have said what I said. It was wrong."
This guy is bad.
8
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:33 PM Anonymous Says:
“ “The fact that it has garnered so much attention, I think, is testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in America”
The dued tried to break into a house in the night. He acted like a jerk. Obama probably spoke to Jesse Jackson before he made those stupid remarks. ”
"The dued tried to break into a house in the night."
The ehrleche professor (not a "dued" whatever that means in your language) was in his OWN HOUSE where he had lived for 15 years. He showed the cop his ID with his address. Your equally stupid comment about Rev. Jackson further demonstrates you intelligence (or lack thereof. Perhaps you consulted with David Duke before posting your comment??
9
Jul 24, 2009 at 04:30 PM Anonymous Says:
“I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley
He didn't "give the impression". He did malign.
#3- Bush would not have gotten into trouble by making an inflammatory statement like that. And Obama's right. It shows racism. On HIS part. I want to know if we can say the same thing if we get busted. The professor could have shown id and that would have been the end. And his arrest was for disorderly conduct anyway.
10
Jul 24, 2009 at 04:03 PM Anonymous Says:
“ "The dued tried to break into a house in the night."
The ehrleche professor (not a "dued" whatever that means in your language) was in his OWN HOUSE where he had lived for 15 years. He showed the cop his ID with his address. Your equally stupid comment about Rev. Jackson further demonstrates you intelligence (or lack thereof. Perhaps you consulted with David Duke before posting your comment?? ”
1)The professor did not show I'd with an address for the house on it.
2)There is no reason to assume he is Ehrlech any more then the cop.
3)He was not living thre for 15 years according to reports, he moved there recently.
4) The professor showed a tremaendous lack of common sense and courtsey at a minimum. It could have not been too hard just to say I live here, thank you officer for your concern instead of screaming like a luatic. (Unledd he I'd one and then I guess he could not help himself)
Common courtesy is expected of everyone.
11
Jul 24, 2009 at 04:00 PM Anonymous Says:
The President set a great example by apologizing for his remarks. Time and time again we read on this blog about people making mistakes, whether it is protecting child molesters, financial fraud, zoning and building code violations, etc. but I think the onoly person I recall hearing an apology from was Bernie Madoff. Taking responsibility, admitting when a mistake is made and apologizing is something more of us need to learn to do.
(BTW - If you read the police officer's own police report, Professor Gates was arrested for being rude to or yelling at the officer AFTER it was determined by the officer that he was lawfully in his own home. Prof. Gates was in no way physically threatening to the officer. Even if Prof. Gates was rude or obnoxious, I found it very frightening that you could be arrested for being rude to a cop on your own front porch. That is why the charges were dropped so quickly -- because there was no legal basis for them. Being rude or calling an officer racist is not disturbing the peace.)
12
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:57 PM Anonymous Says:
“ This shows what a real mentch Obama is. Can you imagine bush ever apologizing about anything? ”
You are absolutely correct Mr Bush would have never apologized. He would not have had to apologize because he would never have opened his mouth and gotten involved. This was not an incident where The President of The United States should have said anything. It just goes to show how biased The Obama-ination is and how unqualified he is to be the leader of the free world.
13
Jul 24, 2009 at 04:45 PM .....GEVALDIG Says:
HE jumped the gun....he supported his bro without knowledge of the facts...he is as prejudice as the rest of THEM
14
Jul 24, 2009 at 04:42 PM New York Jew Says:
It all started when he decided to confront Israel. His treatment of Israel is horrible and without precedent. Since then it's been all downhill for him. Shattering teleprompters, failed health care initiative, plummeting approval ratings, and now this epic mistake which has put him in a very bad light. As long as he continues to malign G-d's chosen people and their land it will only get worse.
15
Jul 24, 2009 at 05:14 PM Anonymous Says:
“ You are absolutely correct Mr Bush would have never apologized. He would not have had to apologize because he would never have opened his mouth and gotten involved. This was not an incident where The President of The United States should have said anything. It just goes to show how biased The Obama-ination is and how unqualified he is to be the leader of the free world. ”
How about appologizing to the thousands of American families whose sons/daughters were killed because of his lies about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction etc. Thats just a start...
16
Jul 24, 2009 at 03:50 PM Toras Moshe Emess Says:
The President's response is reflective of the REAL race crisis going on in this country. Whether it's firefighters in New Haven (and now New York) or a Cambridge cop just doing his job, there are large and powerful forces in this country that immediately assume whenever something goes wrong for a "person of color," It's the white man's fault. The tests are racially biased, the cop racially profiled etc etc etc.
Obama is one of these people. Remember, he was a community organizer. Interesting to note, this man Gates lawyer, a radical black activist who, among other things, demands reparations for slavery, was Obama's mentor when he was at Harvard.
17
Jul 24, 2009 at 05:54 PM Mrs. Fisch Says:
“ Mr. President,
WADR, any statement you make that begins with "I do not have all the facts..." should immediately end with "...and I will withhold judgement until they are available." Full. Stop. Anything else is beneath the dignity of your office. ”
Biden's foot-in-mouth disease seems to be spreading.
18
Jul 24, 2009 at 06:46 PM Milhouse Says:
“ "The dued tried to break into a house in the night."
The ehrleche professor (not a "dued" whatever that means in your language) was in his OWN HOUSE where he had lived for 15 years. He showed the cop his ID with his address. Your equally stupid comment about Rev. Jackson further demonstrates you intelligence (or lack thereof. Perhaps you consulted with David Duke before posting your comment?? ”
What's so ehrlech about him? And no, he had not lived there for nearly so long, and he did NOT show ID with his address. What if he HAD been a burglar? Should the cop have left him alone just because he claimed to live there?
19
Jul 24, 2009 at 06:39 PM Milhouse Says:
“ This shows what a real mentch Obama is. Can you imagine bush ever apologizing about anything? ”
This was only a sort-of apology. And Bush made many apologies at least as good as this one.
20
Jul 24, 2009 at 06:38 PM Milhouse Says:
“ How about appologizing to the thousands of American families whose sons/daughters were killed because of his lies about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction etc. Thats just a start... ”
Since Bush did NOT lie about anything, and USA casualties in the war have been remarkably low, he had no need to apologise. But if things had happened the way they do in your fantasy world, then he would have apologised.
21
Jul 24, 2009 at 06:31 PM Anonymous Says:
“ “I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley
He didn't "give the impression". He did malign.
#3- Bush would not have gotten into trouble by making an inflammatory statement like that. And Obama's right. It shows racism. On HIS part. I want to know if we can say the same thing if we get busted. The professor could have shown id and that would have been the end. And his arrest was for disorderly conduct anyway. ”
Really? You apparently have a very short memory. Bush would say one stupid think after the next, including his "mission accomplished" pronouncement, "god told me to invade Iraq, and my favorite ""Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." Amen George. For once you were honest.
22
Jul 24, 2009 at 07:10 PM Milhouse Says:
“ Really? You apparently have a very short memory. Bush would say one stupid think after the next, including his "mission accomplished" pronouncement, "god told me to invade Iraq, and my favorite ""Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." Amen George. For once you were honest.
”
The only stupid one is you. Or maybe you're just a liar. Probably both.
Bush never said "mission accomplished", or "god told me to invade Iraq". And it's the government's JOB to think of new ways enemies might harm America -- there's nothing stupid about that.
23
Jul 25, 2009 at 08:50 AM Anonymous Says:
It seems to me that Gates, despite his 'elevated' position in the community, could not rise above a street thug's tactic of screaming discrimination when it suits his purpose. How can Harvard keep a guy like this on the faculty? Also, my understanding is the house is not his, but belongs to the University. Too many professors are too entitled. This is why tuition is so high. Does he ever spend time in the class poisoning young mnds?
24
Jul 24, 2009 at 08:01 PM Anonymous Says:
“ The only stupid one is you. Or maybe you're just a liar. Probably both.
Bush never said "mission accomplished", or "god told me to invade Iraq". And it's the government's JOB to think of new ways enemies might harm America -- there's nothing stupid about that. ”
Welcome back Millhouse; we missed you. We always sent around your posts among our chevrah for a laugh and we all need as much humor we can find with all the tzoros of the past few weeks and your posts are beyond funny.
25
Jul 25, 2009 at 08:28 PM Anonymous Says:
Obama and the proffessor are both racist creeps.
26
Jul 25, 2009 at 09:19 PM anonymous Says:
A Harvard trained lawyer should have been familiar with Latin phrase "prima facia evidence" and not shoot from the hip. Furthermore this illustrious Harvard "professor" is an antisemite
27
Jul 25, 2009 at 09:39 PM Anonymous Says:
“ This shows what a real mentch Obama is. Can you imagine bush ever apologizing about anything? ”
Mentch? He saw his poll numbers dive 5 points overnight---the lowest they've been since his election.
28
Jul 25, 2009 at 10:07 PM Anonymous Says:
“ The President set a great example by apologizing for his remarks. Time and time again we read on this blog about people making mistakes, whether it is protecting child molesters, financial fraud, zoning and building code violations, etc. but I think the onoly person I recall hearing an apology from was Bernie Madoff. Taking responsibility, admitting when a mistake is made and apologizing is something more of us need to learn to do.
(BTW - If you read the police officer's own police report, Professor Gates was arrested for being rude to or yelling at the officer AFTER it was determined by the officer that he was lawfully in his own home. Prof. Gates was in no way physically threatening to the officer. Even if Prof. Gates was rude or obnoxious, I found it very frightening that you could be arrested for being rude to a cop on your own front porch. That is why the charges were dropped so quickly -- because there was no legal basis for them. Being rude or calling an officer racist is not disturbing the peace.) ”
umm, perhaps you arent aware of what being disorderly in public means? it means if you are doing an activity that causes a crowd to gather, and you disobey an officers command to stop, you get locked up.
29
Jul 26, 2009 at 09:17 PM Anonymous Says:
“ The President set a great example by apologizing for his remarks. Time and time again we read on this blog about people making mistakes, whether it is protecting child molesters, financial fraud, zoning and building code violations, etc. but I think the onoly person I recall hearing an apology from was Bernie Madoff. Taking responsibility, admitting when a mistake is made and apologizing is something more of us need to learn to do.
(BTW - If you read the police officer's own police report, Professor Gates was arrested for being rude to or yelling at the officer AFTER it was determined by the officer that he was lawfully in his own home. Prof. Gates was in no way physically threatening to the officer. Even if Prof. Gates was rude or obnoxious, I found it very frightening that you could be arrested for being rude to a cop on your own front porch. That is why the charges were dropped so quickly -- because there was no legal basis for them. Being rude or calling an officer racist is not disturbing the peace.) ”
Don't you think it's benificial to our society if people have respect for law enforcement??? The police officer chose to walk outside while being berated and gates followed him outside and continued yelling, even after several warnings that he was being disorderly. A police officer has a right to demand respect and to arrest someone who is making a scene. I don't find that scary at all. And in terms of the president's "apology", as far as I'm concerned, no apology will be complete until he completely exhonerates this fine police officers actions.
30
Jul 26, 2009 at 11:34 PM me Says:
“ "The dued tried to break into a house in the night."
The ehrleche professor (not a "dued" whatever that means in your language) was in his OWN HOUSE where he had lived for 15 years. He showed the cop his ID with his address. Your equally stupid comment about Rev. Jackson further demonstrates you intelligence (or lack thereof. Perhaps you consulted with David Duke before posting your comment?? ”
No he didn't show the officer his ID. That's the reason that he was CORRECTLY ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO BREAK INTO A HOUSE AND REFUSING TO SHOW THE OFFICER HIS ID. If he had presented his ID instead of being a martyr for the cause of racial profiling he would not have been arrested.