Schieffer on the Real Teachable Moment

(CBS)  The President said he hoped the Gates incident would provide a teachable moment.

For sure, it was no shining moment for any of those involved:

. . . A scholar who popped off after a long day, which included locking himself out of his own house. But then, we've all been there, haven't we?

. . . A cop trained not to let such things bother him, let some smart remarks get under his skin. Inexcusable, sure, but aren't cops human too, sometimes?

. . . And a president (who should have remembered) forgot just how bully the bully pulpit can be. But then, he had a couple of things on his mind that day too, didn't he?

Then, the president did what presidents - or anyone, for that matter - seldom do: he admitted a mistake. He said he realized that what he had said just made things worse.

That made me think.

If the cop had told the scholar, "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you when I asked you for identification, I was just trying to do the job you pay me to do," or if the scholar had told the cop, "You know, I shouldn't have popped off, it's just been a long, hard day," my guess if they had said that is none of this would have even made the local news.

We all have bad days, no one is perfect, and when we are willing to step back, take a breath and admit that - or at least concede the other guy may have a point - it generally makes things better.

To me, that's the lesson here.

[NinthSt78]

I very much agree.

[dlmmay]

While we are reforming healthcare lets include all government employees and elected persons from President on down to the person on the street. Sure let them pay and collect SS. Are they really better than other people?

[DavidFromWI]

""" A cop trained not to let such things bother him, let some smart remarks get under his skin. Inexcusable, sure, but aren't cops human too, sometimes?"""

What? What evidence do you have? What statement did I miss that would lead you to believe the officer did nothing but arrest a upset disorderly man for disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct is not exactly rape or murder. It amounts to a traffic ticket. The charges were dropped because gates lawyer up and the city didn't want to deal with the hassle.
A police Sargent arresting a man for disorderly is profiling .... how?
Gates said he was profiled... where is the profiling? He lost controlled a bit ... charged him with disorderly he spent a few hours in jail ...Gates calls his lawyer and gets the charges dropped...what is so hard to believe?
The cop so mad his revenge is to .... umm..inconvenience the man?

Police are heroes when they die in 9/11 but arrest a man for disorderly conduct and they turn into jack booted storm troopers?

What is so hard to believe. Why can't the officer be telling the truth. Why is it that EVERYONE has to be wrong. Its not a big deal. ONLY GATES made it a big deal, the press, and Obama.
Gates said he was slighted because the officer didn't tell him his name and badge number. ITS ON HIS NAME TAG AND BADGE. Did gates need reading glasses. The Officer did ask for campus police so he could leave and let them deal with it.... that he would want them handle an upset arrogant professor to hard to believe. So Gates lost it. SO WHAT. Respected professors can commit murder but not be disorderly outside and in their own home? Gates gets his nose out of shape when his face is plastered all over the news and he wants to clear his name. HE is the one that made a big deal in the first place and Obama compounds it. Why such hostility towards the police.

Police are heroes when they die in 9/11 but arrest a man for disorderly conduct and they turn into jack booted storm troopers? Looks like the ivory tower upon which Gates sits isn't exactly with out a blemish or two.

What is with the need to have a everything be a moral equivalence. The press are accused of protecting the image of Obama all through out the campaign and they prove it my doing it again. They don't even know they are doing it.

Democrats (mostly) can be involved in a human organ money laundering scheme and no mention of the party afiation but Gates being arrested for a nothing chage is a case of GOP racism and police abuse of power.

Oh there seemed to be a BIG abuse of power all right. To bad this poor middle class, union member, police officers' badge and gun didn't protect him from it. Sad that so many of the media voted for Obama but can not even be honest with themselves much less their viewers or readers. They don't even see they are doing it. Its almost as hard to believe that a college professor would want to save face after his was plastered all over the nightly news. He knew the media would say it was profiling and THEY DID. Its so CRAZY it can't be true. He didn't count of his friend, the most powerful man in the world, to open his big mouth. That so hard to believe.

[kcwillie]

I can't believe the officer is willing to meet with those 2 racists. We all know what happened, it's called "the race card". Obama has proven where his loyalty is. Not with the truth, or the law for that matter. That guy should not lower himself to their game. Thank you, Mr. obama, for reinstating racism, considering the AMERICANs trusted you enough to vote you in, and you sure showed them.....that's because they all "acted stupidly" when they voted for you.... for the record....I didn't....and I'm patting myself on the back.

[Samuel-HiLL]

Coulda, shoulda, woulda...geez give it a rest. Noone even knows yet exactly what was said by either the "cop" or "the teacher".

[kcwillie]

that didn't matter to obama.....he told the whole world the cop was stupid and poor little gates was being tweeted bad.....boooohoooo

[SpiritSky]

I'd like to ask a question regarding this conversation.

When someone comments "we have a long way to go", what destination are they talking about?

- Some differences WILL always be the same.

- We all need EDUCATION for the next generation. Yet, there are more colleges offered to people of color than to whites.
- We all need a fair chance to apply for a JOB. Yet, there are more programs that are offered to people of color than to whites.
- We all practice FREEDOM of SPEECH. Yet, whites are more restricted in voiceing a problem at work or incident in college. 9 times out of 10 it turns into a racial problem.

There are alot more examples but they have been chewed over and over for years. So back to my question.

WHERE WILL WE BE WHEN WE GET THERE?

[Widget101]

As soon as the media gets off the subject - so will the public...and we will all get on with our miserable lives.

[mary-miami]

Thank you Mr. Schieffer...on a excellent article. I agree with you.
Indeed, we are all human and if people would just take a deep breath and a moment to think things through, there would probably be more peace in this world.

[carhac66]

no I do not agree. gates was home and proved who he was and was in his house. gates has 1st amendment rights of free speech. crowley should've left, but he called for backup instead. why????
crowley was in a citizen's home and did not treat the citizen with the respect of leaving when he knew he was innocent.
the woman, who called 911, was not sure of what was happening or the race of the "perp" and said so. she was given the choice by the 911 operator of black or hispanic as the choice of the perps race. she said hispanic. crowley and the police wrote on their reports she said black. sounds like an attempt to cover his back because he did not do his job.

[sddemocrat]

Way to go Bob!!! Yes, I agree with you, if all of those things happened we never would have heard or debated this in the national spotlight. Thank you for your objective reporting.