Obama Stands By Comments On Gates Arrest

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: In The News

(AP)

President Obama told ABC News Thursday that he is "surprised" by the controversy that has greeted his comments that the Cambridge police acted "stupidly" in arresting Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. inside his home.

"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," the president said, arguing that Gates should not have been arrested.

Mr. Obama added that he has "extraordinary respect for the difficulties of the job that police officers do." He told ABC that his "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."

The president said it is his understanding that the sergeant who arrested Gates, James Crowley, is an "outstanding police officer." But he said Crowley made a mistake in arresting "a guy in his own home if he's not causing a serious disturbance."

Crowley, who reportedly teaches a class on racial profiling, has said he is disappointed by the president's position, arguing that "he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts, as he himself stated before he made that comment."

Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Hass stood by Crowley in a Thursday afternoon press conference. He said officers "were very much deflated" by the president's comments.

Sgt. Crowley is a stellar member of this department," Hass said. "I don't consider him a rogue cop in any way."

Also Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insisted that the president "was not calling the officer stupid."

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

CBS News polling in April found that 23 percent of whites and 33 percent of blacks felt Mr. Obama's presidency has improved race relations. Only seven percent of whites and five percent of blacks said his presidency had worsened race relations. (Read more about recent CBS News polling on race.>)

The full interview with the president will air on ABC's Nightline tonight, adding more fuel to the fire of a controversy that seems unlikely to disappear from the headlines anytime soon.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by BigEdsBlog July 24, 2009 3:00 PM EDT: I first wrote about this on Tues and basically said that Gates was a jack arse.
Now Obama opens his uninformed mouth and inserts his foot in it.
Gates said that Crowley didn't know who he was messing with.
Perhaps Gates is the one who didn't know who he was messing with.
Check out my take on it and the link to my Tue post. Also, please stick around for more good content.
http://libertarianhumor.com/2009/07/24/gates-2/; Reply to this comment


by BigEdsBlog July 24, 2009 1:01 PM EDT: I first wrote about this on Tues and basically said that Gates was a jack arse.
Now Obama opens his uninformed mouth and inserts his foot in it.
Gates said that Crowley didn't know who he was messing with.
Perhaps Gates is the one who didn't know who he was messing with.
Check out my take on it and the link to my Tue post. Also, please stick around for more good content.
http://libertarianhumor.com/2009/07/24/gates-2/; Reply to this comment


by mariannpepit July 24, 2009 12:11 PM EDT: The Mayor also has a sharp tongue and should stay out of police business and let the police superintendant handle the problem like Mayor Daley would. Because she is black and the governor is black doesn't make it right how Gates responded to Crowley. Al Sharpton is a big problem and sticks his nose in business that doesn't concern him. I am glad the commissioner called for a panel. Obama should remember that he is also half white not all black and the media should stop classifying him as the first black preident when in fact he is mulatto. Where did they get their education from. And he is half African American half white.; Reply to this comment


by mariannpepit July 24, 2009 11:54 AM EDT: I agree that Crowley should sue Gates for what he said about him and then to mention his mother. For an educated man he certainly acted like he came from the ghetto. He had a sharp tongue and should have had more respect than he did. I would hate to be in his classroom. He must be the same as rev. Wright who is as racist as can be. There could be a backlash against Obama in the next election. He thought more about Gates than the soldier that got captured. He never talks about him at all. I didn't vote for him because I read him like a book without the cover, listened to his copied fake speeches or broken pomises regarding change that never came. He has Clinton's people because he needed them to teach him about politics and that's not change. And why the teleprompter? Chairman of the republican party Michael Steele doesn't need a teleprompter to make a speech. He can just get up there a talk. And I haven't heard him make a comment yet about the arrest of Gates and he is black.; Reply to this comment


by mariannpepit July 24, 2009 11:43 AM EDT: I think Obama was wrong in getting involved with Gates arrest because police work is not his business regardless that Gates is a professor at Harvard where Obama graduated from. Obama needs to find a way to free that captive soldier that he apparently forgot about. That's a more important issue than Gates who brought the arrest on himself by his ghetto actions. Now that Obama involved himself the truth came out that he is a racist and kept it well hidden. Its time for voters to wake up to reality and think before voting next time. If it was a white professor arrested by a black cop Obama would turn his head around and say nothing. Republicans are right about Obama and they read him like a book without the cover. Its the American public that listened to his promises of change that never happened and never will.; Reply to this comment


by dalyarnold July 24, 2009 11:07 AM EDT: Dipping in the 'Kool Aide' & don't even know the Flavor
How many died in this, how many hospitalized. what countries involved, which terrorist group(s)....... Yeah this needed Presidential review.....LOL LOL LOL
H____ in 1993 When the World Trade Tower was FIRST bombed -what did the then President do? Nothing - "Let the Police handle it" He was a Democrat. We've had some real Weiners in the White House these past years. 2 + wars at the hands of Republicans. This country is in a real mess politically . The Rally @ NYSE is due to the profits shown by the companies that bambozzled billions of dollars out of us poor tax payers by a Panicked,ill prepared President or worse yet , one who hopes to profit by all this. This $$$$ mess is a Boon Doggle. Why , How. The Average American can't even balance their own check book , this financial fiasco has been going on 20+ years.Politicians continue to profit by it & when they don't they just change the rules.
Don't give credit to some one who doesn't deserve it. Our Unemployment is 17%+ and still climbing in our part of the country. Foreclosures are climbing by double digits daily.
Abuse of power, use your power for your friends sake........ Divide the country......promote arrogance,vanity, disrespect for authority....... Lets face it Police are Authority figures......
Obama What's up your sleeve this time? Why are you drawing our attention elsewhere?? It's not that I mistrust you is just that don't trust you !; Reply to this comment


by ConcernedCitizen2 July 24, 2009 10:41 AM EDT: What Id like to know, is why is our president getting into local police business? I think the officer was just doing his job and that Gates decided to make it a racial thing and I cant understand why in the world our president wants to provoke this in our country. The presidents days are numbered because of this foolish talk of racism. Just because he is his friend doesnt mean he (Gates) didnt act wrong or get out of control. He even stated that his house was burglarized recently and the officer was trying to protect him.This racism thing has been out of control in our country for far too long and having our president get in on it just causes more problems. But it isnt anything that I didnt expect when he was first elected. I think we are in for far more poor judgment from him and as we can see so far it is doing irreputable damage to our country. I am very proud to be an American and what our country stands for but I will not ever back a president that acts so foolish as to start a racism war between Americans. We as Americans have overcome racism in the past so we can live in peace but this president is bringing us to a revamp of the past by his comments. Even if Gates was a white man the officer would have done the same thing as a report of a breakin was made and he was acting for the protection of him and his property.We hear the same comments day after day about blacks making excuses for the crimes that were committed as because they were black.It sounds as ridiulous as a robber caught in the act saying: You only arrested me because I was white. I have much respect for all races alike and all of this is so childish and will only cause hate among all Americans whether they are Black,white,hispanic,asian or so on. We true and free Americans will rise above all of this to take our country back, and to nurture it again as the country it once was. STRONG, ALL RACES UNITED, UNDER GOD,INDIVISIBLE,AND WITH JUSTICE FOR ALL!; Reply to this comment


by krotec54 July 24, 2009 10:37 AM EDT: I cannot Waite to see the transcripts of the recording of the incident between Mr. Gates and the officer.; Reply to this comment


by xlib July 24, 2009 9:45 AM EDT: brianbwb-you keep neglecting the FACT that the thug is half white and raised by white women to boot. So, if you are so enthralled with him I guess it would be due to the white women who raised him. OR, it could be the time he spent in Indonesia, OR, it could be the time he spent with wright OR it could be the time he spent with ayers & company.
As for the persistent kkk statements, well,love to keep throwing this out the racist, but which party has a venerable kkk member in congress?? Come on, which one??
You and your thug in charge are loving this and it is obvious to anyone who really looks and reads. This is what you want, isn't it?? Ah, yes, return the country to it's "rightful" owners, isn't that the end point??
My take on this, racist, your guy saw this as an opportunity and he jumped at it. As for what your thug said, well, he should have kept his mouth shut but because he didn't most thinking people see him for what he is. He is an arrogant, petulant, spoiled child.
Now, tell us about all his "suffering" at the hands of the vile white man. Come on, tell us!
As for me having on my hands, yada,yada,yada" because I'm a typical white woman like your messiah's granny, here's my take on that. Stuff it, brian, stuff it.; Reply to this comment


by kenhamlett July 24, 2009 9:27 AM EDT: It appears that some have become so used to the cowardice and corruption of our leaders for so long that they have forgotten that a man of courage and conviction should stand up and say what he believes. From my perspective it was obvious the question would arise and he would have to address the matter. He spoke from the heart and I admire him for it. That was the final test as far as I am concerned. This man has the confidence to says what he feels must be said. This tells me he has what it takes when we have to deal with adversity or a direct threat.

There has been a false idea fostered that Police are superior to citizens. This is blatantly false. I can assure you that they have no natural superiority and often indulge their egos to pretend they are above the rest of us. This obviously leads to abuse of our rights. This should not be a matter of race. It is a matter of common sense. There was no crime, and it was proven before the handcuffs came out. If I have no rights in my own home then I would be irate also. This is a matter of the freedom we should all enjoy.; Reply to this comment