Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex
I'm not sure what you're getting at here. You think Gates' behavior toward the officer is excusable because he was tired?
I've known a few cops (obviously not a statistically significant sample, but bear with me), and by and large, they are trained to remain calm and professional in the face of verbal abuse. They are told it is their responsibility to prevent an incident from escalating. Making needless and senseless arrests is not what they're about.
Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but the public statements of this police officer, the other officers at the scene, and the official police report don't suggest that he is one of them. By all accounts, he is a model officer and--ironically--has taught a racial profiling class for five years. (That is, how NOT to racially profile.) Another officer at the scene--who is black, by the way--confirmed that Gates was behaving in a manner consistent with his arrest.
But IMO, the more interesting story here is not this man Gates, who I think is clearly a jerk, but Obama, who made a very ill-advised judgment of the situation without having the facts. He unnecessarily inflamed the situation by his response, and, amusingly, totally derailed any momentum he was hoping to build on health care.
|
You think this story derailed any momentum on health care? Well, you are the same who thought the "bitter" comment or the Rev. Wright story also ended his campaign, so I guess this is par for the course.
This was an unfortunate error by Obama, and one he quickly realized. He is friends with Gates, which I am sure contributed to his rush to judgment. That said, it won't do anything to health care reform. At all.