danmand said:
Come on, it has been obvious to anybody that this is a case of racial profiling.
Remember Gates is a friend of Obama. Do you really expect him to say nothing
in defense of his friend?
I, for one, respect Obama for "calling a shovel a shovel", even if he knew he was sure to
be attacked relentlessly on it. If a dark skinned president cannot take a position
on this, who can?
I actually don't think it qualifies as "profiling" as I don't beleive that Crowley let race influence his perception of whether Gates was a burglar or the resident.
I do believe that this was ultimately a case of egos, which may have been exacerbated by race as Crowley may have been less likely to take BS from a black man than a white man.
Even the black police officer on the scene (in the infamous picture) stated to a reporter that the outcome would probably have been different if he were the first arriving officer, despite supporting his fellow officer's actions 100%. This demonstrates that someone can be completely technically correct in handling something but still not result in the best possible outcome.
Despite their friendship, Obama should have reserved judgement until more facts were in hand. Would you defend a friend's actions without first knowing the facts?
His position and skin color make it even more dangerous. As was demonstrated in the subsequent shit-storm.