The Beer Summit

Last week Barack Obama made the foolish mistake of commenting on an incident in Cambridge Massachusetts involving one of his long time trouble-making allies, Professor William Gates, and Cambridge Police.
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Cambridge Police responded to a 911 call about a potential break in as reported by a passing observer. Police responded and carried out basic response protocol - trust no-one, interview everyone and determine the facts. Obviously, on its face value, the situation looks like a basic misidentification for the suspect was unfortunately, Professor Gates.
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The problem occurred when Professor Gates decided he wasn't going to cooperate with Police, and started become belligerent - in the normal style that most black activists with a chip on their shoulder do - and he refused to follow police instruction, called the Police "You're Mama" and pushed Police thus getting himself charged with disorderly conduct.
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Last week, Barack Obama made the intentional comment in front of the Press Corp that the Police acted "Stupidly". Obviously, Obama was defending a long time friend and proponent of his by speaking out against police and in favor of Professor Gates. What Mr. Obama doesn't realize is that he cannot just go running his mouth and rendering opinions on things without understanding the facts. The fact that he made judgments about the police (despite the video clearly showing Professor Gates' antics) is an example of his inability to keep his mouth shut and keep his nose clear of squabbles and minor issues found in any daily police blotter.
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Barack Obama has forgotten that he cannot just bully his way through an issue (he is learning this with health care) and just because he says something doesn't exactly mean that its true (or close to true). Obama is learning the hard way that Presidents do not get mired down in minor issues or force fights with public citizens while he conducts state business in the public eye - particularly, those that he disagrees with. You would have thought he would have learned something from his public jousting with Radio Talk Show Host Rush Limbaugh, who through collateral damage diminished both Obama's stature and public position.
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Not satisfied with leaving well enough alone, today Obama decided to hold a "Beer Summit" in the backyard of the White House. Besides being poor use of the President of the United States' time and energy, he further fanned the flames of both the race issue and managed to bump serious issues from the headlines of both print and video media. With an overall approval rating dropping below the half way point for his mishandling of the economy and confusion brewing over his healthcare scheme, Obama has managed to mire himself in race relations and police v black relations which is a no-win scenario for him at any time.
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So here we have three men appearing together toasting each other at a table. Obviously, the police union is interested in closing the loop on this to remove heighten angst from the black community in Cambridge, and Senatorial pressure from the Kennedy camp et al, and Obama wants to be seen as some "uniter" having blown the issue out of proportion nationally, and then there is Professor Gates, who needs his huge ego stroked, and managed to get a well deserved disorderly conduct charge dropped. Gates is the big winner in all of this because he can claim a big victory against the authoritarian white male and the fuzz. No doubt that he'll find himself a big hit at all the NAACP cocktail parties, and perhaps even star as a fundraiser for their on- going hyperinflated white society bashing parties.
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I'm sure that a great deal of what was said AT Sgt. James Crowley amounted to a sort of "sensitivity training" class of sorts. Listening to just how hard it is to be a black man in a white society, and how the police make trouble in the black communities (despite statistics on crime by race). A dialogue that substitutes facts for fiction; and paints a dark dreary picture of centuries of abuse by the White man. Boy, poor Sargent Gates really earned his money today.
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I'm sure Sargent Crowley tried to get a word in edge wise about police protocol, and how difficult it is to be a policeman in a faltering, crime-ridden society. But none of that really mattered to either Obama or Gates. I'm sure they listened, nodded, and waited for their turn to talk about what they came to teach Sgt. Gates.
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The problem with Barack Obama is that his ongoing adventures are costing him priceless time and capital with the American people. Largely, as polls show, they see this as a folly from start to finish. And they are beginning to size up his Presidency in just the same terms. It's just another bad week, and everyone is wondering what trouble he's going to create for himself and us next.