Obama Expresses His Regrets On Gates Incident - hopes case can serve as "teachable moment" (NYT)

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Expresses His Regrets On Gates Incident
By Jeff Zeleny

President Obama said Friday that he “could have calibrated” his words more carefully in the racially-charged controversy over the arrest of a Harvard professor, making a surprise appearance at the daily White House briefing to try and cool the tensions surrounding the case.

Mr. Obama said he hoped the case became “a teachable moment” to be used to improve relations between minorities and police officers.

The president conveyed his sentiment to the police sergeant in a telephone call earlier Friday. Mr. Obama said he disagreed that he should not have stepped into the issue, saying it is the job of the president “black or white” to contribute to improving relations.

At the end of the call, Mr. Obama said, there was a discussion about the police sergeant, Professor Gates and him having a beer at the White House.

The brief appearance by Mr. Obama before reporters on Friday afternoon was an attempt by the White House to move beyond the controversy that has dominated the last two days of news coverage. Only hours earlier, Robert Gibbs, the press secretary, said the president had made his final remarks about the issue. But advisers said the mounting criticism from police groups and others persuaded the president to address the matter in an attempt to move on.

The five-minute call between Mr. Obama and Mr. Crowley took place Friday afternoon. Aides said the president had not yet spoken to Professor Gates.

Mr. Obama did not use the word “apology,” but aides said that was the sentiment conveyed during his phone call with Sergeant Crowley.

The controversy, Mr. Obama acknowledged, overshadowed his attempt to explain the effort to overhaul the nation’s health care system. By speaking about the matter again on Friday, the president hoped to turn the page.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/obama-expresses-his-regrets-on-gates-incident/?src=twt&twt=thecaucus

[annabanana]

1. I see the Times is first out of the gate with the crappy framing. . n/t

[high density]

2. Obama expresses his regret that the press corps is made up of a bunch of idiots

What is up with these idiots?

[DrToast]

3. I hope the three of them get together for that beer

Can you imagine anything more deflating to the right wing lunatics than those three getting together to have a beer?

[johnaries]

8. I'll drink to that!

:toast:

[Uzybone]

4. The President is a bigger man than I

but I guess it would be self defeating to keep this nonsense going. Hopefully the Prof Gates, the media, cops and white folks learn something from this.

[Raineyb]

5. I don't see many people learning much in this situation.

We still have apologists twisting themselves up in knots trying to justify what happened.

[jefferson_dem]

6. Agreed.

n/t

[TomCADem]

7. The President's Example Is Key - Inviting Them Over For A Beer Is Brilliant

There was obviously a huge misunderstanding between the two men. Now, they can both continue to lob insults at each other, or Gates and Crowley can show an example to the Nation of two men getting over their past differences.