CNN

[...] Skip Gates affair revealed a deep perception gap between white and black Americans.  According to a CNN poll, "Fifty-two percent of Americans feel racism among police officers is common, with 44 [...]

[...] because of their dis­ap­point­ment in the Gates remarks. A CNN/Opinion Research poll released on August 4 found that six out of 10 white vot­ers dis­agreed with the president’s remarks. A [...]

[...] no matter what the issue is these days with regards to Barack Obama’s actions as President. In a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, 54% of those polled do not feel that Cambridge, Massachusetts police office James Crowley acted [...]

[...] August 4th, 2009 by Quiz Master by Emily SwansonCNN / Opinion Research Corporation 7/31-8/3/09; 1,136 adults, 3% margin of error 226 African-Americans, 6.5% margin of error 773 non-Hispanic whites, 3.5% margin of error Mode: Live telephone interviews (CNN release) [...]

[...] } CNN Poll: Did Obama act stupidly in Gates arrest comments? Posted: August 4th, 2009 04:38 PM ET From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser [...]

Yes He acted with a knee jerk reaction. He should not have commented until he unstood the entire situation. Police officers are trained to react to non-compliance, they were only doing there job. The Prof. was provolking authority.

YES he did.

President Obama spoke before he had the facts at hand. There appeared to be stupidity through out this entire incident, the prez only added to the sum. A little respect from the prof towards the officer and a little respect from the officer towards the prof would have negated any comments – much less the comment from the President.

Give me a break , he said what was on his mind , if that was stupid so be it. He showed his lack of political experience and spoke his mind.
Kind of refreshing in a sea of professional democrat and republican politicians who arent worth a crap.

In a word – yes.

The President had no right to get involved. He may have views but the office takes presidence.

He was asked his opinion and he gave it. He said it would be biased. I think it was blown out of proportion on all sides. Enough is enough though. It should be put to rest and more substantial problems be the focus.

Of course Obama acted stupidly. And of those who polled they don't think so, they are being political and not honest.

Obama intentionally wanted that question asked, at a Health Care Forum-of all places and time. Is he that stupid? Apparently. And proceded to give their stupid response. He thought his arrogance and intimadation would rally his base and that's why he did it. After all, the race card he's been playing since Jan 2008 has worked for him. He didn't realize it has been worn thin.

My goodness, even if this was a case of racism, the guy didn't even have the facts and said so, but then disparaged Sgt Crowlely and the police department and accused them of wrong doing. And he's the president. I don't know how much more stupid, stupid can get than THAT.

It would have been much better had the president chosen his words more carefully. Maybe something like: "I don't know all of the facts, but what I have heard causes me some concern. I trust the Cambridge police to come to the right conclusion about what happened." That probably would have soothed the ruffled feathers on both sides of the situation.

I don't see it that way at all..."Anti-white sentiment."

Clearly, President Obama was speaking from experience and from the heart.

I am proud that he spoke up, and I supprt POTUS wholeheartedly.

No he didn't; this could not have come out better if it was scripted. All parties look honorable; no groveling; no bitterness.

This is a great leap forward in handling the always touchy race issue in America.

Obama was absolutely CRACKED to comment on the situation at all and in doing so he acted INCREDIBLY stupidly.

Just showed his true colors.

Yes he made an error in judgment! The word was not a good choice, he should maybe have used sensibly instead and it would have not sounded as bad as stupidly. But he made amends , and it was a teachable moment for Obama!

Obama replied honestly and on an emotional level on a subject that might have caused him personal pain in the past.
It's hard not to respect someone for that more than, say, a calculated or politically motivated response.
It speaks to Obama's character, honesty and relative political inexperience in being all things to all people.
I hardly think he need "be haunted forever" by it.

I suggest moving on, morans.

Wombat T. Jones, off to the tub.

The President was honest (not right or wrong, no one is anyway) in his assessment. He could have decided not to comment on the issue, like most President would do in public, then turn around to "act" on their own form of political ideologies. This President was bold enough, stated his opinion, and enabled a platform of open and sincere reconciliation for the parties involved. Give me a better president in the world that will match this honesty and open reconciliation spirit. President Obama is outstanding!

To say Obama acted stupidly is a little strong. He certainly acted unwisely. He immediately ticked off every police officer (plus wives, parents, children, etc.) in the U.S., which is not a smart thing to do politically. I suspect that his political advisers were apoplectic. At the same time, he did little or nothing to build credibility among the African-American community. In my judgement, Prof. Gates and the elitists in the Harvard teaching community were, in the end, the biggest losers.

Well, lets see. President Obama (bi-racial) says Crowley acted stupidily and never really retracted that statement nor apologized for it. So with that, one would expect that at least most blacks would agree with him and it appears that they do.
Due to his inappropriately timed remarks without the facts, he has contributed to the racial divide enormously..

Yes he did act stupid! Its not his concern, he needs to worry about the bad job he is doing. He is the President, not GOD who cares about what he thinks.

Obama showed he is both a ellitist and predudist,

Never give your opinion until you know the facts. Simple!

It is a question he probably should have taken a pass on and formed a better answer but hey he's human just like the rest of us. The thing is, it at least got people discussing the issue and for this country, that's a good thing.

Yes. Period. Now, can we move on please?

No, he did not act stupidly.

Everyone seems to forget that he, the President alone, was the only person who, from the outside, said this may or may not have had a racial issue involved. That's what he said at the outset.

He said it was stupid, whether or not there were any racial overtones involved. He is the only person who said that. Everyone else, including the Media, took the incident, and the President's comments as racially influence.

Go back and look at the quote of the President, instead of listening to talk radio.

Yes POTUS acted stupidly.
1) It wasn't something the president should have been involved. in.
2) He didn't know the facts. He was guessing based on his own biases, just like everyone else was at the time.
3) His comments, right or wrong, lessened the authority of the police, which was also stupid.
4) He has also demonstrated that he is incapable of actually admitting he was wrong.

disorderly conduct can be in your home if it is enough to disturb the peace around you. i think people need to stop talking out of turn about things they are not aware of. it seems odd that you could be disorderly in your own home, but you can.

i think the president responded as a friend would and not the way the president should. i think he was correct when he stated that he further fanned the flames with his comment and the beer summit was meant to put out some of those flames.

Hypothetically, if Gates had handed over his Id and explained to the officer what was happening, do you really think he would have been arrested. Do we as a society think that it is acceptable to disrespect authority regardless of what color we are? I am inclined to think that this officer based upon his reputation among his fellow officers whom are black, that he would not have arrested Dr. Gates without a reason to do so.

as an attorney, i agree that racial profiling does exist as well as bad cops. however, not every arrest of a black individual is racial profiling. it bothers me profusely to hear that used when race is not even an issue. although i dont speak for the white race, those falsely making complaints of racial profiling make it harder for some to believe the legitimate complaints of the same. an abundance of false allegations start to make people think all allegations are false.

stooooopid is as stooooopid does,,,,,,,,,,for you libs......that is a YES

President Obama did not act stupidly. A White police officer arrested a Black Man who was breaking into his own home that he owned! Professor Gates Neighbor was so incredibly oblivious that she did know her own neighbor. This is just a case of typical american stupid racism, which goes both ways!

Not only did NObama act stupidly, he's so full of it that he will never apologize for his stupid comments and lies. This is definitely not the way to handle race relations. And of course, most blacks are so proud that they will forgive NObama no matter what idiotic things he says or does.

Don't forget the love fest with news media. It still continues. I guess now they really have no choice.

However, there's light at the end of the tunnel. A significant number of Americans that supported NObama are starting to see through the haze, not only as it relates to the President, but also as it relates to a significant number of idiotic, high-ranking elected officials.

Americans, please keep that light shining!

Stay tuned!!!

Obama did not act stupidly, but then again I agree with the President that it was stupid to arrest an innocent man in his own home.

The people who used the comment to make headlines and attack the President acted truly stupid – it took attention away from the much more important reason for the President's press conference: Health Care Reform.

Being distracted by sensationalist stories is "stupid."

Obama acted stupidly. First he said he did not know all the facts. The next statement would have been, so no comments. But he went ahead to take sides on the matter. How can you say the police acted stupidly, when you admit not knowing all the facts? So in my opinion, Obama acted stupidly, not the police.

What he said was accurate, but people don't want their president to voice unwelcome truths.

Obama spoke before he knew the facts. Kinda like how he deals with health care reform.

He may have let his emotions get in the way due to not only a friendship, but probably some sort of similar event that happened to him... as well as many others.
Otherwise he hit the nail on the head. Racism is deeply embedded
in this country.
People are people, plain and simple...
The whites need to get off their high horses.
PS... I'm white and former repub...

Simply put, yes. Professor gates and Obama made it a racial thing. The cop di his job , investigating a reported potential crime. Isn't that what the Cambridge police pay him to do? Would the Professor rather they never investigated anything at his house or neighborhood?

We are so divided in this country and we will continue to be as long as we have religion, political parties, men and women... as long as no one brings up the point that we are more alike than we are different. We basically all want the same thing, good jobs paying enough to raise our families, peace in the world no more illegal wars, good education for our children, crime free cities, a clean environment in which to live... The middle class that is. The wealthy take advantage of the the middle class and at this point we are slaves onto them. But that is the change we nedd and President Obama is going to bring that change to our country.

Here is the problem, there are some people who should be police officers but are not and there are police officers that should not be in law enforcement.

The question is this, If Prof. Gates gave his ID to the police officer and the police officer still treated him like a suspect even after learning that Prof. Gates lived there then the officer did act stupidly.

On the other hand if Prof. Gates refused to show his ID to the officer then Prof. Gates acted stupidly.

A person DOES have a right to voice their opinions and thoughts even if that person is yelling it at a police officer. Officer Crowley arrested Prof. Gates because his feelings were hurt. Many police officers like Crowely would just love to arrest civilians who voices their opinions about the the lack of professionalism amongst police officers.

Lack of professionalism in law enforcement can be found in everywhere in this country. For example there is a huge lack of professionalism with the north district in Jersey City, NJ; particualrly with the officer who is in charge of that police station. This person would do the exact same thing as Crowely. I ran into someone who wanted to file a police report because his wallet was stolen, but did not have a descrpition of the suspect. Any way, this officer discouraged the person from filing a police report and when the victim in a clam voice stated he was going to report his loack of co-operation; the officer got angry and threated to arrest the victim.

Racisim still and does exist in America.

No. he spoke his mind and from the black experience.
Most importantly it has brought all the parties together.
gates, Crowley and Obama have met over a guys beer. gates and crowley have agreed to meet again. gates has sent whalen roses and a thank you.

These 4 people are moving forward i hope the rest of us can do the same.

I actually think a lot of people would have respected Obama if he had come out and said that he "acted stupidly" by responding in the way he did.

No not at all. It just shows you how injustice that the US are because racial profile happens so often. It is terrible in the world today that Blacks have to question whether or not is racial profiling. United States still have a long way to go. There was an incident of a friend (race: white) of mine whose daughter was smoking marijuana in the woods with her friends they came out of the woods and seen the police and they ran the opposite way. The police called my friend at home (because my friend's car was parked where it should not have been and was able to run the license to call her.) The police told my friend to call her daughter on her cell phone who is running to come back or she will be arrested. The girl came back to car and was smacked on hand and given to her parents. Do you think that a black girl or boy with their friends would have the same outcome?

SLM, Regardless if he stuck his nose in without knowing allthe facts, it does not change the fact that you cannot arrest someone for breaking into their own home. Therefore the officer was in the wrong because specifically no crime had been committed. Ergo the officer did cact stupidly in a fit of rage and revenge because he got a verbal lashing from an educated man. The fact the man was black incited the officer even more. Look at this from a question of logic and not emotion. If the officer was so rigth why did he drop the charges? The police dont do that. Again I ask logically what crime did gates commit? The President was in an impossible situation. He could not do nothing. If he did all his minority supporters would be screaming bloody murder. and If he speaks which he did, white America screams bloody murder. The fact is that racism is alive and well no matter what you think, and until we admit that ugly truth we can never move past it!!!!!!!!

Absolutely yes!

Obama is a stupid person, all of his policies are stupid.

You have to ask? Obama had no business getting involved in a local law enforcement matter – on behalf of one of his buddies, no less – and turning it into "profiling" with no facts and apparently no concern for anyone but himself.

Any other president would have been beaten up by the media...but not the Obamessiah.

When doesn't Obama act stupidly? OR reckless with our money or country's reputation...? What exactly, has Obama or this administration done that's positive for this country? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Obama – could have waited for all the facts before speaking

Gates – could have held his temper and been little more cooperative

Police – should have presented Gates with the ability to prove residency.

The fact remains that sometimes things get said in the heat of passion no matter what the race. Wrongly accused, arrested, convicted and even put to death people have been apprehended by the police (of all race).

People make comments without all the facts.

We do not live in a perfect world, but we do live in the FREE WORLD.

So before you make any comment, think how all this could have been avoided......

I am very proud of My President!! He was able to difuse a very tense situation that could have made the racial splits in this country even wider. I hope that we all learned that when poeple who disagree with each other sit down and talk, in most cases, they will be able to work out a solution. Remember, as Ghandi put it, revenge makes us all blind.
Now, we need to get back to health care.

Gates, Crowley and Obama were all wrong in this matter. The only one to be commended is the 911 caller. Why? Lets look at the facts: Gates was not cooperative with the police at the time of his arrest. Crowley could have took the high road like police are trained to do. Crowley police report stated two black men. The 911 caller did not report this and the question remains how did Crowley come up with this in his report? Maybe this is one of the reasons charges were dropped against Gates. President Obama should never prejudge any person, institution or group before knowing all the facts. 911 caller seen what looked like a break in and reported what she saw. She is the every day citizen that the country should be proud of. If you take sides in this matter you are part of the problem not the solution. But sadly the majority of whites will side with the police and the majority of blacks will side with Gates. The best thing is not to talk/comment about race in America until there is no white side or black side just wrong or wright. That day my friend may never come>>>>>>

I voted for Obama in November, but after seeing his racial preferences and quick judgement, not to mention his disrespect to law enforcement, I will have to say that I will reconsider my vote come 2012.

Prof. Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct. Sgt. Crowely didn't have a warrant to enter his home, therefor, regardless of w/not Prof. Gates was disrespectful, Sgt. Crowely had no right to enter his home or to arrest Prof. Gates. Sgt. Crowely established that there was no 'breaking and entering' once Prof. Gates showed his I.D. To ask him to step outside was not needed. When Prof. Gates insisted as such and Sgt. Crowely arrested him, he literally crossed the line and broke the law himself by going against the constitutional rights of Prof. Gates.

Yes, Obama acted stupidly and yes, it's going to cost him. The highest post in the land and the leader of the Free world says our police acted stupidly. Has the post fallen that low that he feels it required to even make a comment. I think the handwriting is on the wall which way our country is headed. A sad day indeed.

The president uttered a stupid and unfortunate quote. Gates and Crowley acted similarly by overreacting in the first place. But .... Obama apologized for his blunder and the Beer Summit sort of diffused the situation. No one was killed or hurt.

Alas, apparently this was just anti-climactic for the media who presumably anticipated a re-run of the LA riots. That's why this is dragged on and on, with 'clever' tactics like this stupid poll to milk the public for more attention. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but most of us moved on. Go find another hornet's nest.

President Obama called it as he saw it. He said everything was OK up until the arrest. It was the arrest that was stupid. You don't arrest a man on his own porche for disorderly conduct, why because your authority is challenged. Would Henry Kissenger, Larry Summers, or Alan Dershowitz all current or former Harvard professors been arrested under similar circumstances of course not. Sgt Crawley would have had a lot more to answer for than just a false police report. Had that been the case. As a matter of fact what about the police report. You have a lot of people treating the report as the holy gospel, when the facts have been distorted. The last I heard the Cambridge Police dept is standing by the report. Now that's stupid.

Absolutely not. Actually the media turned this situation into a circus. Since the election of President Obama every single thing he say or does has been scruinized in some capacity. This does not surprises me. We must let the President be the President and respect him just as we have respected Presidents of the past. There are no perfect individual regardless what capacity of professionalism we exist.

A man in his position should make sure he has all the facts before he makes a public remark. What he says in private is his business

Barack Hussein Obama; examine his body language, his gestures and speeches which demonstrates that he suffers from NPD, or 'narcissistic personality disorder'. Narcissists are people who project a grandiose but false image of themselves. They can be and often are, dangerous people.

Yes he did act stupidly. I like the president, but for him to be (race) baited into commenting prematurely wasn't too bright. If the professor was so mad at the police officer for doing his job he felt the need to be belligerent then he deserve to be arrested.

Yes, Obama, reaction was wrong, especially for the President of the United States. Then the beerfest. Wow, is that he has to do with his time, drink beer. He should concentrate on the health care system, he is messing it up so bad. Ugh.

Having been raised in a big city, I been exposed to more than most. That includes unprofessional law enforcemnet officers and, friends from every walk of life. I am typicaly inclined to side with the civilian who had an encounter with a cop.
That being said, I am appaled that the President would give such a response without all of the facts. And in such a public setting!?!?
There are two Americas. We see things differently. This instance is very telling and sad.

Absolutely!!
He is as quilty as Gates and the officer
and the more this is stired the more it will stink.

No. The President did not act stupidly. He reacted as a friend of the Professor. THE PROFESSOR SHOULD SUE THE COP FOR FALSE ARREST. There will be a thousand white lawyers on his door step within one hour of the announcement, and the lawyers will do it for free.

Yes, Obama stuck his nose where it didn't belong. He admitted he didn't know anything about the case and yet he made that comment that will haunt him for years to come.

Yes Obama Acted stupid he made a fool out of himself he should have just kept his mouth shut, there are more serious manners that he needs to worry about,

Yes. while I continue to be a strong Obama supporter, I am nonetheless surprised and disappointed both at the President's careless and offensive comment and his subsequent failure to issue a clear and complete apology to the police.

Obama didn't act stupidly. Obama was just acting Obama.

I think if 46 percent of the respondents think the cop acted stupidly, it was stupid. On your next traffic stop would you want a nearly 50-50 chance the cop will act stupid?

This is old news, time to move on.

How soon we forget. The standard for stupid was set by the lasr administration.

we all act stupidly once in a while.....no one is perfect.

The only ones acting "stupidly" here were Obama and Gates! The police did their job like they would normally do with no regards to race. In fact, I saw the black policeman in the picture and he confirmed that they acted properly.

LET IT GO.... it's not news any more..... ENOUGH ALREADY

Obama should apologize to all law enforcement.

When you preface your comment with "I do not have all the facts in this case" then yes it was stupid to say that either side acted stupidly.

Seriously! are we still talking about this? This is old news Move on please!

He's acted STUPIDLY since the day he was elected, and still does...!

The point isn't whether anyone acted stupidly. The last time I checked, everyone acts stupidly from time to time. The point is whether they were able to get past that and resolve their differences. Thanks to President Obama, they did. That should be the end of the controversy, as well as an example of how we all can handle our differences.

The President was the one that acted STUPIDLY in this case. It was none of the President's business about the case. Does he need to go around and stick his nose into every arrest? I don't think so! That's not his job! He needs to worry about the U.S. citizens like he does his friends and then maybe our country would be in better shape!

Regardless of the white or black split on the matter, Obama should not have commented on such a local matter. It was due to the idiot reporter who, during the press conference regarding Healthcare, asked about the issue in Cambridge.

They should have stayed on topic. Obama got sucked in and made a big mistake. It put egg on his face.

It was a surprise to hear the word from the President and no one can express their disgust with the police anyway. Gates showed his ID and police verified it is his home and end of the story. I think Crowley has an ego.

I'm a huge fan of Obama, but in this case he spoke too quickly. before knowing the particulars of the case. I believe he knows this now......we all "live and learn".

Without a teleprompter, Obama cannot speak without putting a foot in his mouth. Its plainly clear that without the facts, Obama should have kept his mouth shout. But our dear President is not the 'One' like many believe, but only a mere mortal doomed to mistakes. Only his mistakes can have grave consequences for our country.

I also think that people who are so hateful now, towards a rather minor incident, are the ones who are REALLY stupid. Many people speak out of turn, it is how you act afterwards, when passions die down, whether you continue to be hateful and refuse any overtures of reconciliation, that defines you as a person. I believe that all 3 of these folks are persons of tremendous character.

First, Obama said before the comment that he didn't know all the facts. Second, what he said was that he thought the police acted stupidly WHEN the police arrested a man in his own home after he was identified as being in his own home. Arresting someone in their own home for disorderly conduct does seem stupid to me.

Yeah. The average guy can certainly empathize with jumping up in defense of a friend, but Obama was speaking at an official white house media event as President of the United States.
Emotional conclusions without the facts has no place there.

When President Teleprompter speaks "off the cuff" he is invariably acting stupidly. This dude makes Bush look eloquent.

He always acts AND looks stupidly.

Stupid? Maybe, but at least he manned-up and apologized that he spoke too soon. A little act of contrition goes a long way; an idea lost on the Neocons.

He may not have acted stupidly but had no business getting involved at all.

The president has better and more important things to do than to defend a friend on what may or may not have been a racial thing. It appeared that if the had just handed over proof the whole thing would have been over. Instead he had a chip on his shoulder and things escalated unnecessarily.

Did Obama act stupidly? Absolutely. There can be no question that Obama made statements where he knowingly was not aware of any facts. To blast the police in this particular instance was disgraceful.

As further facts were made public, which is quite obvious that many of the posters here are ignorant of; it's even more apparent that Gates was the problem in this case. He's an embarrassment to the community and to the university. He should publicly apologize to the police department.

I think he might have but he admitted he was wrong and remedied the situation. Ask Bush how many mistakes he made and he will not know what he did wrong.

The President didn't have all the facts. He picked the wrong case to showcase "racial profiling". Once he found out he was wrong he should have apologized. By making the statement he could have calibrated his words more carefully tells me he wasn't sorry. In that fact he acted "stupidly".

Obama had a Rev. Wright moment. Don't get me wrong I voted for Obama. and will again,

Yes he did. If Gates hadn't been a friend of his, he would have thought about it before calling anyone's action stupid. Apparently, if you are a friend of Obama, you do not act stupid. Only others do.

I think Obama overreacted in this matter . If anybody yell at the police officer without any reason then he/she should get arrested. Sometimes police can be rude but Crowley was just doing his job. And i think this type of issue should not be in the media since we are dealing with major crisis !!

YES

In order of stupidness:

Obama (I thought he was supposed to be smart)
Gates (I wonder if he has played the race card in the past. He came from a long trip and was tired and frustrated, I'd give him some slack)
Crowley (an officer doing his job and probably personally insulted by Gates yapping about his mother. I would have likely done the same thing).

The only person who this is a teachable moment to is Obama. He lacks common sense.

Can we please let this go already? I am tired of overblown news bites and incessant polls that in the grand scheme of things are only creating MORE angst! ENOUGH!!!!!

The President of the United States has no business getting involved in a local police dispute even if it is his friend. He has enough on his plate and it's just not his place to do so. I think The President acted stupidly for putting his two cents worth in.

VERY STUPIDLY.

Gates is who created the problem by being obnoxious to a cop trying to do his job Then the president acted even more stupidly by passing judgment because he believed his friend's version of the story.

[...] [...]

Don't Know, Don't Care!

He simply misspoke. I am so OVER this story already.

I'm sorry, but when you're the PRESIDENT, you can't "act like a friend would act".

If you want to act like the average ordinary person, then please step down from this hight skill specific job. I want my president to act like a president. Not someone's friend.

Obama ubviousely spoke stupedly.

You mean "Did Obama Act Stupidly Again?"

Simple. The ALL acted stupidly. End of discussion, move on with IMPORTANT business.

When a person speaks that quickly it is coming from his heart. He knew exactly what he was saying.

Can you beat this dead horse a few more times? This happened over a week ago. Isn't there something more pressing you can report on than a brief comment made during a press conference that the medial blew out of proportion in the first place.

I'd much rather hear more on healthcare reform, cash for clunkers, N. Korea, taxes and other social issues than this tired out crap.

Obama acted prematurely, mostly out of experience in racial issues, but not stupidly. You want acting stupidly -choose anything done by Obama's predecessor.

It is interesting to see how far we have come since last November. These same news outlets and people were soiling their pants when speaking of or to the administration.

No. Once I heard all the facts, President Obama was right. The Police Offficer abused a little of his authority. That was the Professor's house and when he went in, he should have backed off, but his pride would not let him.

Obama had no role in local politics in this case. He just jumped in to it. I think he has good learning curve on what effect he ultimately has to produce as the president of this country.

Who cares!? This is old news now. Get on with something else. President Obama is a human being he's allowed to make mistakes.

The story is done and over with. The author knows that better than we do. He is trying to put down his own President by linking Obama with the word Stupid.

Is Obama going to come to the aid of Georgia our ally if Russia attacks them or will he run and the left will just defend his actions like always

He needs to remember he's the President of the United States now, not a community organizer. I think he should have stayed out of the matter.

YES – when you deal with the Police you ALWAYS treat them with respect NO MATTER WHAT even when they are in the wrong. Cynthia Tucker said on the Sunday talk shows that America has a constitution right to be beligerent and even obscene to the police due to our 1st ammendment protections – what a fool. If a police officer questions you and you are rude and do not cooperate, then you can get charged with Obstruction of Justice.

I agree with Carlton. White America may think that the USA isn't divided because they do not harbor racist ideals. The US will never be free of racism.

I believe that if Obama did not know the details of the case, he was not preparted to qualifiy the police actions as either smart or stupid. Obama did not act wisely jumping the gun on that one.

President Obama was very accurate with his statement- that The Cambridge, Massachusetts police officer James Crowley acted stupidly when he arrested Professor Gates at his home. The President was only saying out loud what millions of Americans and people around the world were saying and thinking.

As per this survey, two-thirds of whites say that a white homeowner would have been arrested for the same behavior and a quarter of blacks agree. Whites are not being honest.

This problem with police and Blacks will continue until the broader issues of fairness, respect, equality and justice are address. When people of one race hold themselves as superior and others inferior there is going to be racial conflicts at all levels. Respect other people of different races not tolerate.

The President said that Prof. Gates was a friend and he reacted as anyone would for a friend. We should not lose sight of the fact that Prof. Gates is 59 years old, was in his own home and he walks with a limp using a cane. After he was identified, why did the contact go any further. There is enough blame to go around, but I think the President reacted as a friend and rightful so.

I think most people forgot already the comment officer Crowely made after the incident, "these banana eating monkies," he said refering to black professor. Officers like Crowley don't deserve to be working for public service. He should have been fired. He can possibly doing what he has sworn to do "protect and serve all citizens."

The incident should have never made the news, let alone go all the way to the White House.

No, President Obama did not act stupidly. I Entirely agree with his take on it in the first place. And I entirely agree with how he dealt with the aftermath. Bravo! A man of mind.

Perhaps President Obama regrets his words, perhaps not. He was gracious in his own retrospect, however, and presented a lesson in conciliation. Perhaps most of all this is a lesson to think before you speak – something that applies to all.

No, the President didn't act stupidly. Once Gates showed his ID showing he lived there, why does this so called cop go any turther? I know my white brethren doesn't get it. I wish they could go one year being analyzed under race lenses and maybe they'd get it!!

Obama was completely out of line to make any comments with respect to the Gates / Crowley issue.

It wasn't a race issue and Obama made it one. Just goes to show who was really to blame during the presidential campaign. It was Obama who raised Race not Bill Clinton.

I thought Obama was going to change washington, instead he is introducing nepotism at it worst – just because Gates was his friend.

Obama owes the Police Departments through the US am apology for his own stupid remarks being ill informed and ignorant of the issue

If Sgt. Crowley failed to alert Prof. Gates at the outset that, due to a reported break-in at the home,and for that reason and that reason only, he wanted Prof. Gates to set outside, I then conclude that Sgt. Crowley displayed poor judgment and inadequate policing technique. I would not say that he acted stiupidly but defintely poor judgment. There was no cause for any homeowner, and in this case Prof. Gates, to step outside unless a solid break-in reason was given, no matter whether it was a policeman,etc. He was inside his home and doing no wrong. If the facts failed to establish the above warning by Sgt. Crowley at the initial encounter, that created the wrong message, perception and sentiments to Prof. Gates.

Police man power trip... Pres Obama has more on his plate then anyone posting on this article. Stop wasting your time pretending that any one could handle the situation better while caught up in the moment.

When the President of the United States says 'I don't know the facts' and then proceeds to say someone acted stupidly, the President is being stupid. And this would be true if the President were of any race or gender.

I am somewhat amused when white people start articulating how African Americans are supposed to act in certain situations.

How can you give an opinion until your felt the sting of being qualified, but discriminated against every day?

Have you ever worked two jobs and earned an honest living, but could not shop with dignity because of profiling?

Have you ever applied for a job and were not chosen although you were more qualified? The reason given was "the other person's title was the same as this position. "

I don't think that Professor Gates would not have been arrested if he had been white. The officer should have apologized for the inconvenience and politely wished Mr. Gates a good night.

A "teachable moment" would have been for President Obama to describe how police put their lives on the line on every call they make. Sgt. Crowley did not know what he would find at the house or what weapons they might have. Then President Obama should have described the protocal (for all colors) on how one interacts with the police. There is no doubt that a white man acting similarly would have been treated the same way!

Yes he did....he made a sweeping comment about an entire group of people without even the knowledge of exactly what happened.

I think Gates having a problem like he did with the fact that the police were investigating a call someone else made about a potential break-in to his own house is short sighted. He wanted to focus more on the fact that he was black and the cops weren't rather than focus on the fact that one of his neighbors....who apparently don't know what he looks like...a separate issue there....called the cops after being under the impression that someone was breaking into Gates' home. If gates wants to be upset with anybody, he needs to be upset with his neighbors and not the police, who are paid to respond to a call, no matter who called and what the call is about....it's their duty. I find it fallable that a harvard professor takes such a knee jerk position about this and associates blame incorrectly, and on a national setting. To me, it discredits what he thinks about....I mean, would a LEVEL-HEADED person behave like that? Why would someone pay Harvard money to be taught by someone who engages in rhetoric such as Gates?

Yes he did. He did not know the full circumstances so he had no need to comment until he did. Maybe he was trying to stave off race riots or something. Even his "apology" was lame. I did not hear him say Professor Gates acted stupidly which we all found out to be the truth from HARD evidence.

The President was asked the question and he answered it, now get over it and get on with something more important..

I voted for Barak Obama and will do it again! But his choice of words was indeed unfortunate. The arrest of someone who was in his home was also unfirtunate. And, making a police person angry was also unfortunate. It's done now...move on!

Racial profiling still exists....the people who claim it doesn't exist, have never experienced it. Plain and simple..people who have never been through something (you know what people I'm talking about) always claim it's not true and it's not real. Why do we continue to argue with them? They're narrow minded and they think everything in this world is perfect.....let's stop discussing it already....

Sure he did, but he disagrees. Fortunately, as an American he has that right. As president, I think he needs to be a little more careful of what he says in public, but so does his VP.
They are human and if this is the worse thing he ever says or does we are going to be better off than we were with the last President. He made "stupid" an art form and his VP wasn't exactly "smart" when it came to hunting.
If we will all get behind this President and tell Congress to stop acting like children, I think we will gain the respect of the world and prosper.

Sadly, as with everything in this country anymore, this had to be turned into a black/white issue. Well, Gates was an angry man just LOOKING for a fight and found it in Crowley. What ever happened to , "Oh thanks officer, thanks for looking out for my home and my possesions, here's my ID, I appreciate you taking the time to sort this out." Quickly followed by a "No problem Mr. Gates, we are here to help and we are glad this was not a break in as your concerned neighbor thought. Thank goodness this ended well for everyone."

Now for all of the "I dare cops to ask for my ID", obviously you have had negative run in's with police, surely because "the cop was a jerk" and you did nothing wrong. Are there bad cops out there? You bet but there are more good ones out there that get caught up in this nonsense and lose what credibility we allow them to have left.

Now, if the cops DIDN'T come and Gates house WAS being broken into, then it would be because the cops ignored him because he was Black.. A lose lose for the cops no matter what.

The fact is most white people are going to side with the police officer because he is white and black people are going to side with Gates because he is black. This isn't complicated here folks. You can say its wrong and that its bias but that's the truth. We are always going to side with people who are more like us no matter what. I personally thought the president did a wise thing when he did talked about it because you have to be completely ignorant if you don't think race relations is a big problem in America. The the fact that so many Americans are so angry should tell us that its still a huge problem.

I believe Professor Gates made this a racial issue. Sgt Crowley was responding to a home he believed someone may be breaking into. When Sgt Crowley initially made contact with Professor Gates and asked for identification he was met with resistance which could be a sign Professor Gates is under duress. Professor Gates made this incident a racial one with the "...why, because I'm a black man..." comment. I don't believe Sgt Crowley did anything wrong and if Professor Gates cooperated with a Law Enforcement investigation, this incident wouldn't have even made the 6 o'clock news.

As far as the President – I do believe his comments about the police department were wrong. I respect him for sticking up for a friend but he stupidly commented about the Police department without knowing all of the facts (admittedly). I believe he should have stayed out of it. Will the president be commenting on every white officer's arrest of a black man (or vice versa) made in the US and whether it was a justified or not?

I do believe racial profiling is a problem in this country; however, I don't believe this incident was a reflection of it. Not every white police officer is out to find a black subject.

What do you expect America?
Obama is all THEATRICS and no SUBSTANCE.
He should keep his nose out of things he knows nothing about; but
we are talking about defending a "friend" of his.
The U.S. will never change as long as we do not treat one another
as equals. What a sad thing to have this as our countr'y's legacy!

This absolutely hurt him. I heard numerous negative comments from folks who voted for Obama. Not all Obama supporters have been smoking the hopeium and his support is a mile wide but only inches deep across the middle political spectrum. Further, he has alienated police, a key constituency, and hasn't fully won them back with his quasi mea culpa.

While it won't move the needle in any appreciable way, there is no question that this was the last straw for some, and will be a continuing straw for others.

I disclose I am white. To arrest a man shouting at a police officer on the front porch of his home after home ownership had been verified is stupid. Once residency and ownership was established, the police should have left. The man had justifiable anger. Now if he was out on the street, or in a public place disrupting or disturbing others, then yes, arrest him. But to arrest him in his home, sorry this is America not the Soviet Union.

Wonder if he likes how his foot tastes...?

No the President did not act stupidly in this matter. He told the truth and I am sure there are many other cases like this involving African American men.

NOOO!!!
Mr. Obama did not act stupidly. He was so outraged by officer's act, that he (Obama) couldn't find another way to express himself. I think Obama was correct in his initial remarks. I didn't like the fact that he "almost" apologized for his act to this officer.

Absolutely Obama acted stupidly by passing judgement without the facts about a case involving a friend. There was nothing racial about it. The officer received a call to respond to a 911 call about an attempted break-in. He did and asked for identification from someone who was inside. Why is that wrong?

Even the african american officers at the scene said they would have done the same thing. Those guys are being called "uncle tom's" or "sell-outs" by their "community".

I love also the fact they all get together for a beer, but that's supposed to be the ending image vs. someone getting to the bottom of the matter and admitting they were wrong to:
1. Error in commenting without the facts – Obama
2. Over-reacting – Gates

There will always be differing points of view, defined by race, in this country. That's just the way it is. Let us take cues from the professor and the policeman and move forward respectfully, even if we have to agree to disagree. Let us remember our strenght still lies in our diversity.

Crowley acted stupidly for FALSIFYING a Police Report!

Once the officer found out that it was his house the case was over! Yelling at a officer is not a crime. Yes he (Crowley) acted stupidly. PEROID!

When a cop asks you for ID, your give it to him. End of discussion.
You don't argue with him about it. Arguing usually means you did or are doing something wrong.

Had Gates simply handed over his ID and explained the situation, the matter would have been closed right then and there.

The Pres. should have kept his mouth shut on matters to which he had no specific knowledge of.

Yes, Obama acted stupidly and yes, it's going to cost him.

Yes of course- why even ask the question? The fact is he got on his soapbox before he had many facts. You don't do that when you're in that office.

No, President Obama was absolutely right. There was no need to arrest and shackle Prof. Gates in his own home one it was clear that he was the owner. Racial profiling in this country is a very troubling issue which should concern all of us.

I support President Obama, however, without knowing the facts of the case prior to saying the officer acted stupidly, make his actions stupid. The police officer responded to a call and did his job. Was the black president calling the white officer stupid because the suspect was black? What does that say about racial profiling? How about if President Obama deals with the real issues. I think the beer summit was stupid.

Yes Obama did act stupidly in this commment but then later he called both officer and professor to WH for beer diplomacy. So he corrected his misstep.

Your headline is whether our president acted spoke stupidly. So let's focus on that, not whether the police officer or professor acted stupidly.

Our president spoke and acted very foolishly on three counts. First, he admitted he didn't have all the facts, yet he still spoke against the police officer.

Secondly he spoke in support for his friend. Not very unbiased to say the least not having all the facts.

Finally, the president shouldn't be wading into very very local matters.

Yet, our "change" president hasn't apologized for anything he said. He thinks he should have "calibrated" his comments differently. Calibrating is something I do with my digital multimeter.................not my mouth.

Politically incorrect, yes. Premature, probably. Stupidly, no. The fact that the incident boiled down to a referendum on race is unfortunate. While race undoubtedly played a role, the major issue was a power struggle. And a badge held more power. While Gates response was unwise, it was understandable. But where is the statute that says it is a crime to mouth off at the police? No one talked about that. Crowley arrested him to put Gates in his place. He could have just as easily defused the situation when he established it was Gates residence–since defusing is what they are also trained to do.

Stupidly or not, was it really necessary for the President of the United States to become involved in this dispute? Does he not have other pressing matters on his agenda which require his attention?? I think the "beer summit" was ludicrous and it did nothing more than diminish the office of the President. Other countries must be looking upon this meeting as an absolute mockery of the man who holds the highest position in this great country of ours. I for one, was embarrassed by it!

This President acted stupidly....should have never put down law enforcement. He can't afford this kind of mistake at his level. I frankly expected more from a President than this. I believe Him to be a cause of this so called racial unrest over the issue. And the professor, isn't this racial pimping? I mean enough's enough.Might get a book deal? And the folks that made the call don't know who the owner of the next house is or how lives there?? The whole things stinks. And that Obama would not appolgize for his comments shows an even greater problem.

Of course Obama acted stupidly but, then again, he has acted stupidly on everything he has done since he was elected.

YES...Obama opened his mouth and made a judgement BEFORE having all the facts!

I don't think Obama acted stupidly, I think he acted and stated his true beliefs after sitting in a church for twenty years of a white hating race baiter and also remember his coming out party politically was at an anti-police terrorist William Ayers.

He DID call his Grandmother a "typical white person", his wife did say that "this is a downright mean Country" and "for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my Country".

His first SCOTUS DID state on MANY occasions that she as "a wise Latina women would more often than not make a beter judgement than a white male".

His own AG DID say that we are a nation of cowards in regards to race, but then turns around and dismisses charges against three Black Panthers who brandished weapons, yelled racist remarks at white voters and it IS ON FILM.

You can not be happy at what I post here, but they are all actual statements of fact and sorry if the truth hurts.

He indeed showed his true colors and add that in to his beliefs and ideas, he will be one and done IF he makes it to 2102 without being impeached.

Have a nice day sheep.

I don't think that Obama can be all things to all people at once. He should have reserved his opinion on this matter as president.

I'm not saying that he can't have comments on situations that arise, but I think that at the moment he's spread too thin to be acting as an African American movement leader AND the president of all people in the country.

He should have known that this would cause a frenzy that would distract from matters at hand. Also, I think it's hard for anyone to judge this scenario without having been in either man's shoes. I've dealt with overzealous cops and I've also dealt with paranoid, arrogant and defensive people.

There is more to this story than any of us may know I'm sure. It's hard to judge.

Yes he acted stupidly. He jumped without the facts and made an ass of himself.

His remark certainly did nothing to help the situation.

There always have been and always will be a racial divide in America!!! For "those" white people who are racist and want to continue to act like there is no problem, because all white people are not racist, I recommend that they take the black test, change your skin color for 1 year and continue to live the same lifestyles in the their locations and then come back after that year and tell me how things really went!!! It's always easy to look from the outside-in!!!

Wait, Obama rushed in to make an ill-informed, bad decision that affected millions, wasted tax-payer money and time, and set a bad example?

This is new? What's new about this?

Get used to it, America.

stupid is as stupid does,,,, heck yes it was stupid !.. obama to say a stupid statement...he deserve to be called stupid,,,

To go to the house and question him was right. To arrest him after you've found out he lives there is stupid.

I believe the true feelings came out ....About how the President and Federal Government really feels and cares about the Police Force....The main "Comment" That the police officer was "stupid" was a "blow" to ALL American Police Forces....Call one, you might as well call them all that....

You come home after a long vacation and for whatever reason, trouble with the door or just travel frustration, you make noise that is reported as a possible break in. Police show up. Once the officer see's an ID (I think only one, but certainly after two) he/she should recognize the situation for what it is and try to make themselves helpful if not leaving altogether. I don't mean that to be disrespectful to our law officers but I think this officer was on a power trip that could have been motivated by a number of things, certainly race. An incident like this requires two stubborn people with bad-attitudes, not just Dr. Gates.

What happens if you call in a suspected break-in to any random house. The officer that shows up is going to find a confused homeowner. The officer should not end up arresting the homeowner for disorderly conduct.

For the record, I'm white.

As Obama himself said, he goofed. He's human. Let's try to get past it. A lot of us jumped to conclusion before the facts were out.

We probably never know what caused the arrest specifically, but neither the cop or the professor where having one of their best days that day.

Rather than yelling at the cop and making all kinds of accusations, if professor Gates had asked for a supervisor to show up in a cool, calm, and collected manner, the outcome probably would have been entirely different. Had the cop not been so brittle about the situation himself, Gates probably wouldn't have lost his temper. Neither man was in his groove that day.

Its incidents like this that make people not want to get involved. Next time someone is seen breaking into Gates' house, it is unlikely that anyone will report it. Next time, it may be a real burgler.

Gates shouldn't have blown his top. The cop shouldn't have arrested him. Obama should have kept his mouth shut. All three contributed to this mess.

Why do people keep claiming Gates didn't show his ID? Gates did provide his ID; even the full length version of the police report acknowledges that. But that wasn't good enough for Crowley. Gates angrily asked for Crowley's badge number. That's not a crime.

Why of course he did Obama did not KNOW the FACT'S, and he added to the Problem !!!! He should have STAYED OUT !!!!

No, you can't be disorderly in you own residence. That's why the charges were dropped so quickly! Bad arrest, after learning that it was Gates home, situation over. Mr. Gates was arrested for
p.o.p! (making the police mad)

President Obama was speaking from the heart. He knew the cop had acted stupidly because he knew his friend didn't deserve to be arrested. I respect him for answering the question honestly.

When you don't know all the facts then you don't comment. Obama is a lawyer – he knows how to avoid answering a question and he should of here. Crowley may or may not have acted stupidly. None of us know and neither did Obama.

He surely acted stupidly! He should have keep his mouth shut,even if he knew all the facts. He thinks he can fix everything. He has no appreciation of what male and female police people go through each and every day on their jobs

As soon as the reporter asked the question, I felt it was an ufair question to ask. Obama was speaking on healthcare issues, and taking questions on the like. The last question was about this controversy. Unfair. Sure, he could have chosen his words more carefully, but it was an ambush question, and people seem to have forgotten that.

Yes, he didn't know the whole story and he opened his mouth and put his foot in it. Actually, both feet. As President, he is supposed to show a modicum of common sense. That didn't happen. No surprise there.

He spoke without enough forethough. It reflected a bias against racial profiling which is easy to understand but not helpful.

I am a white 56-year-old woman that lives in a predominantly black inner city neighborhood. My husband (who is also white) and I were pulled over by the police one night after returning home from a bingo game. We were 3 blocks from our house. The officers repeatedly questioned us as to where we going, where we had been, etc. They insinuated that we had drugs in the car and commented on a piece of cellophane that was in my backseat. It was the outer cover that had been on a Merle Haggard CD! After detaining us for 20 minutes we were finally allowed to go on our way. This is the kind of racial profiling we see everyday in our neighborhood.

I can understand and relate to Professor Gates' reaction to the incident in his home. I think President Obama was correct in his analysis–it was a stupid arrest.

Give him a break. He's learning. He'll be more careful with his words next time.

The whole thing was a thick mass of human error. It was magnified unnecessarily by a grandiose notion that you can be entitled to anger and outrage under circumstances that you have a "right" to define. That's the ego that got the ball rolling.

Belatedly but finally the cooler heads did prevail, and people started showing their better side.

Now, why undo the peacemaking that's been accomplished? Who is keeping the conversation focused on the moment when there was conflict, and why?

Obama went out of his way to correct his part of it. The others involved have shown magnanimity and have walked away after shaking hands. The Professor sent roses to the lady who reported the incident. To me that caps the whole thing off. All's well that ends well.

Let this go please.

@Larry
Please explain how this is racial profiling in any way, shape or form. They were told of a break-in, went to the house, found someone inside and questioned him. They did not find him on the street or in a car. This is a clear example of "wolf!" There definitely is racial profiling and it needs to be addressed. Howevere, this is not the case here. Also, wouldn't you say that the only racial profiling that went on was from Obama who made assumptions about a white cop????

Yes. Gates did not act as a PROFESSOR but vice versa – he acted STUPIDLY. No business for a President to say what he said. He rushed to make a stupid comment, not as a President.

They all acted stupidly. Mouthing off at a cop is stupid. Not illegal, but stupid - because the cop can stupidly overreact and arrest you. And Obama saying the cop acted stupidly was stupid. Sometimes it's stupid to tell the truth.

I was always taught that you never disrespect a police officer (or authority in that matter). My father told me when I was younger that your mouth will put you in jail faster than anything else can... regardless of the situation. And you deserve to be arrested if you disrespect an officer, even if you are innocent.

If one reviews the facts that are published in the arrest warrant and caller to 911 callers atatement which never mentioned race at all and Sgt. Carowley's report he added all of the raciest issues. His statement states that the caller said two black men and she did not, he charged disarderly conduct in a public place and I do not believe that Mass. law ccalls a man's home a public place. The Sgt. is clearly raciest by his own report.

professor Gates was guilty of a lack of common sense. he was also guilty of a lack of common decency. why treat an honest police officer rudely? its correct-the first amendment does allow people to voice even impolite, disrespectful and unfriendly opinions. when someone has reached the stature of a tenured professor, he should set a good example for all people. dont stand behind the first amendment as a reason for rudeness and impolite behavior. we all know that honest black people have been profiled unfairly in the past. this was not one of those cases.

As I understand it Gates did not provide a state issued identification when asked. Rather then give the Id he gave his Harvard Id, yet he had just come from the Airport so he had to have had his passport and likely ID with him.
Plus rather than provide a state-issued id, he (and he admitted this) yelled, and cursed at the officer.
If you are in your own home you should be able to provide a valid form of state issued ID.
Those are the facts of this case, in my opinion Mr. Gates – an intelligent man, knew exactly what he was doing when he refused to provide proper ID, knew that he would trigger an arrest when he got out of hand. Judging by this poll most of America agrees with me.

This is nothing new, just look at what was said about President Obama when he was running for president. Racism is apart of America as apple pie. It easy to say Two-thirds of whites say that a white homeowner would have been arrested for the same behavior but key is white are not black. Until you have been down that road. Racial profiling is a problem in this country. Race, will always be a problem in this country , but this country has come a long ways from 20 or 30 years but we have so far to go on racial problem.

it looked like arrogance to me on national TV, especially coming from a public servant. Public officials need to be humble in front of public mass. Confident look is an old fashion trend, think twice before we speak.

When I was watching the conference live I was thinking 'please just don't get involved' but he did and he said something that will stay with his presidency for a long time. The disturbing part we find out now is that he had that questioned arraigned so he could show his home-town Chicago residents that he still is 'black enough' and he still understands their problems. Why, why, why would he arraign for that question to be asked? I bet you that the majority of the police force and even Crowley voted for Obama. I don't know really but there is a good chance.

It is way past time to put this debate to rest. He was asked a question in a press confrence that was about heath care. He gave an opinion that he saud he didn't know all the facts, while at that time maybe he should not have say anything, he stated an opinion. Now the issue is past and it is time to focus on issues that are far more worth of our interest rather than a dipute between to men that got way out of hand. And has now been resolved.

Obama forgot that he represents all Americans. Obama just saw colors while making a rush judgment without waiting for the actual facts.

Is Obama really ready to lead our country? Is Obama just a great but naive orator who did not realize after 23 years that his pastor was a bad guy. But Obama did not even require the basic facts before declaring that the Police Officer was stupid because he was white.

A really sad day for America.

There is no debating that Obama was politically stupid for commenting without the facts and hurt himself in the eyes of many.

I find it interesting that race was the first thing that entered Gates mind. Maybe he spent too much time studying "racism" and he can no longer discern between the past and the present.

no he did not act stupidly. some people in this country or world don't realize what is happening. everyday you see people of different ethnic backgrounds entering this country. back in the bibical days there were no black or white. this world is becoming a melting pot of races. exactly how it was supposed to be. you think you can divide and treat people any kind of way you want to. think again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR PRESIDENT YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB....

.

Racial profiling is a problem in this country, but I think the bigger problem in this situation (and in this country) is that police tend to act as if any "talking back" is a reason to arrest someone. Neither disliking someone's attitude nor their tone of voice is good reason to cuff them and take them downtown. Police should be calming down a situation like this, not arresting people who are upset and being a little loud but not dangerous.

NO. President Obama gave his opinion. It was a teachable moment.

The President was correct when he said the police acted stupidly for arresting Gates in his own home. It seems to me it was a clear case of abuse of power. He should have left the property after it was clear Gates was the owner and there was no break-in, no matter how irritated he may have been at Gates. The professor broke no laws. ABUSE OF POWER!!!!!

I don't hear a big deal being made by Crowley about lying in the police report about "two black men". Was that "acting stupidly?" Officer Crowley was probabaly intimidated by Professor Gates because he was not afraid to speak up for himself.

The Media should leave it alone since all seems well and the three involved seem to have no hard feelings – mistakes made – lessons learned.

President Obama was asked the question. Instead of answering in political garbage he answered as one who comes to the table with insight into racial issues. Take a look around at all the idiots saying he was not born in the U>S>-What a bunch of garbage! What a waste of valuable time that should be spent on the dire issues of health care, economy, etc. The President skillfully turned the incident into a teachable moment for all of us. We should follow his example-and the examples of the Professor and arresting officer.

It is my opinion that President Obama spoke out of order concerning the Gates arrest. He is human and made a mistake. It is my opinion that Sgt. Crowley over stepped his authority in the Gates arrest and his actions were prompted by the actions of Prof. Gates. I also feel that Prof. Gates was out of line also and caused his own arrest by being belligerent in his own home to the officer that was attempting to assure that the home was safe for him to occupy. Sgt. Crowley was pushed to exert his authority as a police officer and Prof. Gates was pushed to exert his authority and the home owner. Both were right and wrong and both should have shown more restraint and President Obama never should have stepped into that pile of POO.

A better question is how Obama came to hear of the "situation". Did Gates, his personal friend call the White House? How came our leader to make an off the cuff remark without his teleprompter?

He acted emotionally, as human beings do sometimes, even presidents. But it's a shame that the larger issue - the police arresting someone for talking on his own property - has been lost in all this.

Yes, as president he should have stayed above the fray. And I am all for President Obama, he should have apologized ,and admitted it was stupid of him to have made such a comment.

No, he did not act stupidly at all. It was very stupid of the police to arrest Gates in that situation. He was only calling it like he sees it. Some people still want to believe every word that Crowley said even though it is obvious that he lied in his police report. The real victim is the caller who everyone thought was racist based on Crowley.

No, the President did not act stupidly. He said what he thought when asked a question. It is fascinating, however, that in 8 years of the Bush Administration I cannot recall a single time when CNN asked if Bush acted stupidly. Which is ironic because, of course, he did...often.

Obama acted stupidly when he went on late night television and made fun of disabled people. This whole gates thing is just obama showing his true racist/anti-American colors. I would not call it stupid I would call it depressing.

ABSOLUTELY Obama acted stupidly. He chose to side with his black friend void of all the facts. NO teaching moment since all three adults left the "beer summit" to agree to disagree. "Racial profiling" will remain in the American political landscape since blacks/whites see it from their own prism of prejuduce. No one , except God, can read the heart or the intent of those involved. That is why I find "hate" crime legislation as ludicrous. How does one adjudicate hate or love?

Yes, he said he didn't know all the facts and he STILL commented on it and said the police acted 'stupidly'.

Now Bill Clinton goes over to N Korea and the journalists get pardoned. (I am sure there were more talks but .. come on) Pres Obama gonna try to take credit for this?

What does the Japanese, S Koreans, Chinese think of this? There is a reason there were six party talks in the first place for the nuke talks. Oddly this doesn't, necessarily, look good for the administration looking at the big picture.

Good for Pres Clinton, but what did we give up? What did N Korea get for their extortion? Let the games,begi....., continue.

President Obama should not have commented, BUT when the Officer saw I.D. that it was gates house, Crowley should have said ( I'm sorry but there is a mistake and have a nice day ) END OF STORY.

How can you "name-call" when you admit that you have are biast and that you do not have all the facts? Obama acted childishly and unpresidentially ... and he will pay for it at the polls.

This is an interesting topic because:

1. He did act stupidly. He spoke without knowing all the evidence.

2. He did say the truth in that there is a racial problem in America. In this case it happened on Gates behalf. The officer did not arrest him out of racial profiling. Gates was offended because he was black and felt he was being wrongly arrested when he wasn't. He was being arrested for being beligerant to a police officer (something that white people get arrested for all the time).

President Obama did not act stupidly. He is a black man in America, before he was President I'm sure with that big afro he was probably profiled once or twice. My brother is a state trooper who gets foul language at least once during his shift because self entitled people feel the road belod to them. He has never arrested anyone over their lip service. After hearing the 911 call where race was only casually mentioned with the caller saying she did not see the men, I am more inclined to believe professor's Gates' account rather than Sgt Crowley's, who's report read like a CYA. Professor Gates provided ID and proved that he was in his own home, if Sgt Crowley is that thin skinned he could have issued a disorderly citation. Dragging him downtown in cuffs just because he could was over the top and the President said so. If he dodged the question there would have been outrage about that. Damed if he does or dosen't.

T:
The question was "Did Obama act stupidly", not Sgt Crowley. The answer is, obviously, yes! He is daily losing popularity, which he is going to need desperately to get his programs through Congress. This was bound to cause a drop in his public standing no matter which side he took. He had the perfect excuse for keeping his mouth shut, that being that he didn't have all the facts, and he didn't use it. Now THAT was stupid.

Obama should not have racially profiled the arresting officer. He should have kept his mouth shut until he knew all the facts.

Yes, he acted STUPIDLY! THe police SGT should have walked away once he realized that Gates lived there. Mr. Gates had no reason to scream Racial Profiling; that was not the case.

To sum it up, Gates, Crowly, AND Obama all acted stupidly. However, the only racists in the bunch were Gates and Obama. Crowly wasn't a racist, just a power tripping cop.

Had the professor provided the ID when asked the cop would have moved on; had the president taken a moment to clarify the details before making his comment he would not have had to do any backpedaling or luncheon hosting. It is nice to support your friends in the midst of scandals; and unwise to make blanket statements about groups of people esp. during a media frenzy – our president should have remembered that. Our police officers deserve respect and Crowley was responding to a report of a break-in; Gates chose to escalate rather than placate.

Yes,Obama and Gates both were the stupid ones in this matter. Obama stuck his huge clown shoe in his mouth when he blurted out comments on a subject he had no facts on. They both need to learn respect for law enforcment members who put their lives on the line daily. I now know who the racists were in this matter. People are growing tired of this commander in training.

I dare a cop to come to my house and tell me I'm a burglar they would probably have to arrest me as well. Mr. Gates did nothing wrong. He stood up for himself against a cop who, in fact, was violating his rights.

No President Obama didn't act stupidly. Gates was in his own kitchen and being told to prove he lived there which he did. The cop couldn't arrest him in his own kitchen so he asked him out to the front porch so he could say it was public nausance and charge him. I heard the police tape and the cop doesn't have a leg to stand on. President Obama use to be a Civil Rights Attorney and has seen this kind of thing time and again. The cop should have looked at Gates ID and said I'm sorry, we had a call and I needed to check it out and left.

It is un-nevering to think the police can walk into your own home and arrest you for no cause. That's a police state and if you think that's good, there are still places on this earth that practice it. I suggest you go there.

What he said that was stupid was his number 3 point – paraphrasing here – That the police have a history of racial profiling. This is a racist statement! Generalizing all police every where. I have my own prejudices against cops, but I wouldn't say them out loud if I were the President. Way to ignite more anger and hatred, President Obama!

He was trying to say what he wants to say, but I think he may forgot he is a President . That was not his job to made a comment like that at the time. To me he should support the enforcement to investigate the case. Respect others so they can respect you.

I believe the question is....Did Obama act stupidly in Gates arrest comments? and Did Obama's initial comments damage his political standing?

Yes, he never should have commented on the subject, friend or no friend, it was in appropriate for him to do so, as the President of the United States.

No, I would vote for him again I believe it was a lesson well learned.

I think Crowley acted stupedly. A lot of policemen get an attitude when they put on a uniform. I think Crowley just might be one of those.

smart presidents do not stick their nose in somebody else's business. None of his concern. All he saw was color.

Yes, Barack Oabma should not have said anything about the matter whatsoever. There is not reason for him to say or do anything at all. Friendship aside, this issue is not one into which he needs or should be involved. End of discussion.

the officers did act stupidly...u cant arrest a person in there own home when they didnt commit a crime & the person showed proof that he lived there....he didnt break any laws...thats why they dropped the charges

I still find it incredible that so many people claim to believe it's perfectly acceptable for a policeman to arrest someone for mouthing off in his own home! I guess we're all criminals.

Eh, well, I'm sure Obama wishes he hadn't said what he said. Not a big goof but a telling one.
The Reporter should have never asked the question. The reporter acted STUPIDLY. End of story.

If the professor hadnt gone off the deep end and talked to the officers rationaly, none of this would have happened. The police were not there about race........period............

Even as a huge Obama supporter – Yes..He did.

He never should have rushed to judegment before knowing all the facts.

Any human being that does that acts stupidily.

But I think he handled it exceptionally after that.

The harsh relationship between African Americans and the police is not new though many non African Americans may not be aware of the situation. It is clear to me that the police placed race into the equation as the caller herself has stated she did not specify an African American. I think the President was correct in stating it was a teachable moment. America really needs to take ownership of the way the establishment continues to treat non-white citizens in an unfair manner.

I believe when the journalist asked Obama what he thought of the arrest at his healthcare speech he should have replied he was there to talk about healthcare not other subjects. He just opened a can of worms at that point.

Yes he acted stupid like he usually does in alot of things. He doesnt get the whole picuture. He should of stayed out of it and needs to stay in the whitehouse more. Do his job, not othere. NO TO HIS SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE

I think everyone involved, Gates, Crowley, Obama, and especially the media has acted stupidly.

Was this event staged?

Fitz, below are Mass disorderly conduct laws:

A "disorderly person" is defined as one who:

* with purpose to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or
* recklessly creates a risk thereof
* engages in fighting or threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior, or
* creates a hazard or physically offensive condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose.

I think Gates qualified when he followed the cop OUTSIDE and continued his tirade.

You guys will keep stoking the racial divide in this country to the country's peril. The media will not leave this case alone until the country gets into rioting. That's what stoking this story will lead to if the media doesn't back off this or treat is as it should-adiscussion about race and how the police should treat black people in this country.

Yes, everyone get the facts. When it was stated that the professor identified himself he showed his SCHOOL ID that does NOT have his address on there! If I'm the officer responding to a break-in and he doesn't show me proof that he actually lives there, I take his butt down in the kitchen when he starts getting beligerent! Poll this!

Prof. Gates had every right to be angry but cautious. However, Sgt Crawley crossed his boundary to arrest and charge an unarmed, and identifies man with respectable credentials. It was not only stupid but police arrogance. He was there to enforce the law and not over rule the law.

It seems like everything this President does is put under a microscope by the media and White America. I swear is it so insulting and then you have the nerve to say racial prejudice or profiling don't exist!! PLEASE!!! Since President Obama has been elected everything he says or do is sliced and diced a thousand ways. I mean the man’s first 100 days were broken down in to academic grade!!! I don't recall any of the past President being subjected to such a trivial type evaluation. Oh and now we have to look at the man’s next 100 days!!
But, let me talk about the GATES issue, and how we are really missing the point here, the man was in his house and once it was establish that he lived there and paid the note on that house, Crowley should have LEFT!!! Do you get that LEFT!!! Because at that point continued questions by him(Crowley) showed that he didn’t respect GATES(who is black) and therefore tempers are going to flare!!! So, for all the conservatives who are always speaking about a violation of Civil rights and Government infringing on their rights, WHERE ARE YOU NOW? Is it because this just is just a black man and you just don't give a care? -I'm so sure this will not get posted!!!

No. He acted stupidly when he invited them to the White House for a beer instead of calling out the cop and calling on the police department to clean out its ranks of trash like Crowley.

Crowley acted stupidly when he walked in a man's house, fully armed, and demanded ID and then proceeded to arrest a rightfully indignant man in his own home. He should have been shot. There was so much wrong with his procedure that I doubt he lacks the mental faculties to understand the gravity of his actions.

Gates and Obama acted stupidly when he turned this from an issue of freedom into one of race. It was a golden opportunity to put police departments around the country on notice. On notice that they are there to serve the public. That any request for information should be challenged, and that they have no more rights than the citizens who gave them their badges. Instead, it's been twisted into a ridiculous race issue, because Gates wasn't infuriated as an American, he was infuriated as an African-American.

The whole ordeal makes me sick.

Get over it.......it's over and done with......media you are the ones keeping the fire under the pot........President did just fine by me.......

He sat comfortably in a racist, anti-American church for 20 years and now everyone is shocked that he thinks American cops are just a bunch of hillbillies?

Obama is the one who acted stupidly. He said he didn't have the facts. Yet he said Gates was arrested stupidly. I cannot imagine a president making such a stupid remark. Very, very unbecoming for a president. He seems to think being president gives him a license to say whatever. I expect police officers accross the country will remember that in 2012. I know I will remember.

These two men are to blame for acting arrogantly and uncooperatively. Ultimately, however, I feel Lt. Crowley overreacted in arresting Prof. Gates. He was in his own home and had shown positive ID. Gates, who is supposedly trained in racial relations, should have been "big enough" to walk away when he saw it wasn't a burglary. I think two egos were out of control here. As for Obama, I agree that policeman acted stupidly. I think he spoke the truth, even though it wasn't politically expedient.

I hope that all of those people who stated that Crowley did not act stupidly will at some point get arrested in their own home even if they did not commit a crime.

Enough said...

No, the President did not act stupidly. He is a wonderful President. Let's give him a chance.

I don't think Sargent Crowley was wrong in arresting Professor Gates considering the way that Gates was behaving towards him. The only ones that I consider that they acted wrong was Gates and Obama. As president of this country Obama should not get involved in matters that are not his business, especially taking sides with a friend without learning all the details of the situation.

I think that the President has learned his lesson and this will not happen again.

I am white and I could care less. I voted for Obama and would again.

Gates was belligerent. Crowley was doing his job by the book. Obama did not have the facts. Period.

No, he did not.

...different life experiences different opinions. For white people soldiers and cops are their defense against the world. Their protectors. For black people this has not always been the case. You're always going to defend those you identify with and assume everybody else is wrong.

to borrow from Sotomayor, black people have a better chance at giving a situation an honest look without having to look through the lense of color. True there are some militant black people out there who will only side with black but they are a minority within a minority sometimes they just have bigger mouths but the vast majority of black folks are capable of looking beyond because there's no deep seated prejudice. Most of the tension from blacks is mistrust and unfortunately in some instances an inferiority complex not actual prejudice or racism. Black people will usually take anyone into the fold as long as they don't feel they have to be defensive about being black.

Been around black folks all my life and I haven't really met any racist black people. Overly senstive ones? Definitely.

All this survey tells me is that white people think being obnoxious to someone who puts their life on the line is a reason to be arrested. While that might be a noble idea. I don't think its actually a crime.

Personally, I don't think most white people are racist, just insensitve and occasionally condescending.

He apparently said what was on his mind and not what was written on the teleprompter and yes, it was stupid.

Yes, he didn't need to make a comment!

As long as we continue to engage in a half discussion on race relations, there will be no progress made. I have yet to see any news outlet engage in a 360 debate on the subject. There is no honest discourse. As for this incident, it's time to put it behind us.

All three were out of line. It's over, get over it.

He shouldn't have made any comment. He is not the President of African-American issues. He is the President of the United States. Someone else should have publicly addressed that situation, not President Obama.

NO. We are kidding ourselves if we think there were no racial implications in this case.
No one has asked why the 911 receptionist asked whether the potential intruders were BLACK, WHITE or HISPANIC. NOT ONCE BUT TWICE.
What the heck difference did that make except to help determine how to react with the intruders.. I thought a THIEF was a THIEF was a THIEF. Guess not.
So those of you who pounced all over this and think he was wrong, did you ever consider why knowing the race of the intruder mattered to the Cambrigde PD?
That LITTLE question is exactly why the President responded the way he did. That and the fact that Professor Gates was his friend. All he was guilty of was supporting his friend publicly.. He should have just spoken to him in private.
Especially since THIS PRESIDENT is always going to be held to a DOUBLE STANDARD.
CNN just let it go...

Paul please do us a favor, poll the same people again but first educate them on the fact that according to Mass state law, Professor Gates did not committ any crime, not even for yelling at an officer. Then ask again if they think Sgt Crowley acted stupidly in arresting him.

.

Yes. He should have stated he supports his friend, but does not have enough facts to comment further. Mr. Obama has some very impressive degrees hanging on his wall. To bad he does not act with prudence.

The only reason he had the silly "Beer Summit" was because he can't afford to lose the votes of policemen nationwide, but it may be too little too late.

It was a photo op. No more, No less.

I think that the Media once again tried to sabotage the real issues being debated..Pres Obama was holding a conference on HelathCare, so I ask you what was the deal with that so called reported asking a wuestion that had nothing what so ever to do with the conversation !!! She was just trying to distract people from the real issues Pres Obama was discussing, while at the same starting some controversy..Why can's people just take the situation for what is was..2 people in a situation where both thought they acted appropriately..To me, that reporter is the one who wanted to inject racism into the issue, because i guarantee if Pres Obama had been a white man, the question whould have never came up ! And further more, if Pres Obama was not black the media would not have jumped all over it and did their usual spin..!!!

This is a non-issue that's been trotted out by the conservatives, much like flag-burning, gay marriage and Obama's birth certificate, to distract people from substantial issues like health care, corporate greed, the economy and the environment.

Officer Crowley DID act stupidly. Professor Gates committed no crime. He exercised his right to free speech in his home. Officer Crowley just did not like that Professor Gates had the audacity to question Officer Crowley's authority. If not, then why did Officer Crowley list in the police report that Professor Gates neighbor said "two Black men", when she and the 911 tapes clearly indicated that she did not. Officer Crowley was trying to show Professor Gates who was in charge and lied in his police report to support his ignorance.

Actually, I thought when Obama made that comment it was one of the few times he seemed genuine and not pompous or arrogant, like he usually comes across. I thought it interesting that Crowley was left holding the media bag while Gates treated himself to a friendly audience to make his comments. These Black men are more privileged than the majority of Americans, so what are they whining about.

Too many #s...this poll is acting stupudly

Of course there is a racial divide. White people don't live a black person's life in this country. They don't get profiled and called racist names like black people have. Its all about life experiences. If white people could just pretend it doesn't happen now that we have a African American President they would just let it slide. "We have a black president we are racist". Yea right.

Apologize, that is something he is good at, he does it so well abroad.

No. He was telling the truth.

Racial profiling is a problem in this country.

Everybody involved acted stupidly and hopefully it won't happen again. Now let it go, please. Let it rest in peace with Michael Jackson. There are far more important issues to be discussing.

[...] CNN Poll: Did Obama act stupidly in Gates arrest comments CNN Political Ticker WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new national poll indicates that white and black Americans don't see eye to eye on last month's arrest of Harvard University professor ... See all stories on this topic [...]

I am of the belief that a President has to admit when he is wrong – Office Crowley was just doing his job, a job where his life is endanger always and Mr. Obama's comments made light of this fact – our officers and military should be revered and Mr. Obama should not have spoken at all until knowing all the facts and that he did speak without knowing the facts he should have publicly apologized to the officer and shown he exhibits leadership characteristics. He has done damage, I live in NY and the other day a car drove down the FDR with a poster in the back window and written upon it was "Black Power".

Apologize, that is something he is good at, he does it dso well abroad.

Well is this some sort of surprise?? All the crying for racial equality appears to be a crock of crap, it's superiority or nothing. Whites appear to be more tolerant and accepting. Remember the elections and the % of Blacks that voted for Obama. OJ trial, Rodney King incident. It appears blacks support blacks no matter what and whites support what is right or wrong regardless of color. Racial tensions will not ease up until the blacks can accept that whites don't care about color and quit making it an issue. You can't play that race card forever, we are all human beings. Time to move on.

I think that the Media once again tried to sabotage the real issues being debated..Pres Obama was holding a conference on HelathCare, so I ask you what was the deal with that so called reported asking a wuestion that had nothing what so ever to do with the conversation !!! She was just trying to distract people from the real issues Pres Obama was discussing, while at the same starting some controversy..Why can's people just take the situation for what is was..2 people in a situation where both thought they acted appropriately..To me, that reporter is the one who wanted to inject racism into the issue, because i guarantee if Pres Obama had been a white man, the question whould have never came up ! And further more, if Pres Obama was not black the media would not have jumped all over it and did their usual spin..Now I ask everyone, who are the real racist !!!!!

No. He called it like he saw it.

No he did not. Any politician no matter what party that they are affiliated with will eventually mis-speak so that is not big thing.

Race is still a major issue in America.

Really? You don't say. Blacks & whites see this issue differently? I wonder why....Of course they do. Until people are willing to let go of their preconceived notions of others, we will always have this problem.

This just in: 71% of Americans polled feel that CNN acted very stupidly in conducting and/or publishing this poll. 15% answered "somewhat stupidly" and the rest simply stated "We need more CHANGE!"-obviously suffering from their rhetoric button being stuck. The numbers show no racial divide in these feelings.

It is incredible how some politicians and some "elements" of the media, appear content on "stoking the racial divide!"

Let's face it, if Lou Dobbs returned from an intercontinental trip, and arrived at his own home (jet lagged) . . . . and maybe "mouthed off" a bit too much to a cop, (and was subsequently got handcuffed and photographed) by a black police officer, many people would be calling for that police officer's head in a guillotine!!!

WAKE UP AMERICA – color doesn't matter – most people are just idiots (and that cuts across ALL COLORS – no exceptions).

Wow, those stats are a real shocker. Glad there's no racial divide since BO got elected.

Well, count me among the whites who think the cop DID act stupidly.

There's a lot about this arrest that never got a full airing - even though the talking heads on TV couldn't stop yapping about it.

For instance, there's this little nugget: From the time the initial call was made on the suspected break in to the time Mr. Gates was being led out of his home in handcuffs was SIX MINUTES. That means the entire episode between Gates and the cop probably didn't last more than three minutes all by itself.

That's hardly enough time to make a public spectacle of yelling at the cop. Oh. Wait. Since he was inside his own home, I guess it wasn't a public spectacle was it? I guess there wasn't any reason to arrest him then, was there?

The problem with this is that Obama spoke before knowing all of the facts. That is typically uncharacteristic of him and I hope he doesn't do it again.

No, this didn't spark a debate in racial profiling. It sparked a debate on Obama's judgment and whether or not he would have taken the same position had Gates been hispanic, or asian or gay instead of African American. Doublful. Gates didn't act stupidly hey he got his 15 minutes which was his motive. Well, he got it. Now lets hope he just goes away.

The big item is the great hypocrisy in the media. When Obama goes to a black church or NAACP and talk tough, the media says this president is the only one who can give tough love to black people. When he says something that involves a white man, the media takes one word in isolation and hammer him home. Biased media!

The only ones who really acted stupidly were the press.
Out to get a story or make one up.
The press has no concern for the truth or a solution, only a story.
The press should be ashamed!!!

How could it have possibly been a teaching moment when no cameras were allowed or a transcript was provided.

The media acted stupidly and almost always does. This reporter that asked a question that had nothing to do with the news conference, acted stupidly. Sounds like Ed Henery. More "Gotcha" reporting.
It's time President Obama starts putting idiot reporters like these in the back row.

No he didn't. He is an American and is entitled to his feelings. He is one of the more human presidents. Like us he too can get caught up in his feelings, and speak out.

More important, what is happening with the "falsified police report" issued by Crowley. Is this a "lame duck" now since they shared a beer?

I wish Obama would not have said what he said, but he did, and it was accurate.

A police officer arresting someone for disorderly conduct in their own home can not be described as anything other than "stupid." "Disorderly conduct" involves causing a disruption IN PUBLIC. By definition, it could not be inside one's own house.

Neither Gates nor Crowley acted in an adult manner. Gates should have said "thanks for looking out for my house, here's my ID." Someone on the police force should have said "Sgt. Crowley, you can't arrest someone for disorderly conduct in their own home."

Either course of action, or Obama not talking about it, would have stopped this from being yet another trivial distraction to our real issues.

The poll is flawed as most people think Crowley arrested him for 'breaking and entering' rather than 'disordely conduct' for the tirade he launched into at the beginning and kept on with.

What was stupid was that the POTUS should not have been involves at all, chose to get involved and showed his true ant-white sentiment when he did.