Playing Their Parts

White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs says media "obsessions" are keeping the President's statements on the Henry Louis Gates story alive.

No, I think it was the President deciding, during an otherwise obfuscatory and soporific press conference, to comment on a local matter and lace into the Cambridge police that gave this story both its legs and its national prominence.

I love it when the White House creates a story and then blames the media for covering it. Obama has since said "cooler heads should have prevailed." How true.

The President attempted to clarify his statement. (The YouTube commenters don't seem to be buying it). This wasn't enough for the Cambridge police, who want an apology from Obama as well as from Governor Deval Patrick, who's also commented. Meanwhile, Gates wants an apology from Officer Crowley or he might take action, while Crowley is considering suing Gates.

Why don't they rent a room and just have a big group hug?

As I suspected, there's a police tape of the incident. Usually I don't like listening to these tapes--real people in real pain. But in a case where there's so much he said/he said, it would be interesting to get some aural reality.

The black officer on the scene backs Officer Crowley. Does this tell us it's not about race? Or that blue is thicker than black?

By far the best comment on this controversy comes from Santa Monica police sergeant Jay Trisler: ''To make the remark about 'stupidly' is maybe not the right adverb." Now there's a guy who knows his parts of speech.