Press Conference

I have been working on my blog on Healthcare reform so I watched the President's press conference the other night to get more information. Healthcare was the subject and he had the nation's ear, a great opprotunity to persuade America in the face of falling poll numbers but he missed the target and now everyone is talking about something else. The President was so passionate at one point, in an otherwise bland and too rehearsed pressor, he now has America talking about (not healthcare) but Race in America.

The subject came up about a police officer arresting a friend of his, a black professor from Harvard, Professor Henry Lewis Gates. Most of the facts of the case are undisputed. A neighbor called police after watching two men with backpacks struggling to enter the house. The officer responded and found one man in the house who would not come to the door. The officer entered the house where the man identified himself as the owner. The officer asked for proof and the man went into the kitchen followed by the officer. After the officer was satisfied he attempted to leave only to be followed out to the porch expressing his discontent and demanding the officer's badge number. The entire episode aggitated the professor who after several warnings to stop his behavior continued badgering the officer and was finally arrested.

In my estimation and by the police protocal, the officer acted properly. Prof. Gates was probably tired from a long trip and frustrated by the struggle to open his front door that he failed to understand the officer's duty. If the Professor was one of the invaders or if he was being threatened by one of the invaders and the officer left after being told he was the owner the officer would have been persecuted. In telling of the incident, Professor Gates emphasized he did not invite the officer in the house and did not invite him to follow him into the kitchen. Once again, if he would have come outside the officer would know he was not being threatened or when he went into the kitchen if he was an intruder he could be going for a weapon. This house call was handled by the book and the non-incident became an incident by the Professor's actions.

When the President weighed in on the incident he admittly did not know all the facts but was eager enough to pass judgement on the officer who was a hand selected instructor from his African-American commander to instruct other officers on how to avoid racial profiling. To this day the President stands by his assessment of the incident. The President stated that anyone would understandable be upset in this situation. I wouldn't! I appreciate the police doing what they do to protect my family. On top of that I learned a long time ago if you just respond with respect the problem can be easily resolved. The President reverted back into his community organizer days where race was THE problem. When things go wrong you just call "Racism" and the black leaders jump in and grab a microphone and put their face in front of a camera and call out the authority figure and the media obliges.

The President, as he admitted in his pressor, that the U.S. has made tremendous advances on the subject of race relations and he is the prime example. There will always be bigots and most people will still have some prejudices they still own but for the most part this country can look beyond the color and look at the character. We elected an Afican-American to the highest office in the land, what more can be done to prove it. The problem is the black leaders are not willing to let go of the power they derive from minorites thinking they are discriminated against and the head community leader is our current President of the United States. He denied ever hearing Reverend Wright spew his discourse of white hatred yet he has demonstrated twice now that he is a loyal disciple. First, he nominates a Supreme Court Justice who has made a ruling based on the color of a man's skin over the facts of the case and now he sides with a man who incited an incident by his reprehensible behavior. When asked about this situation the President had an opprotunity to wait until he knew all the facts or at the very least take a politically neutral stance but he chose to offend the officer involved, police around the country as well as many Americans including many who voted for him. In other words, he responded Stupidly.