Questions for Skip

I can understand the President's disappointment that a national conversation on race has displaced his national conversation on Obamacare. That said, a few questions remain about this episode.

I can understand the President's disappointment that a national conversation on race has displaced his national conversation on Obamacare.  After all, this latest “teaching moment” is likely to accelerate his growing unfavorables in red districts held by Democrats, making it even harder for him to close the deal on health care reform. That said, a few questions remain about this episode. First, while the President's comment that the Cambridge police acted “stupidly” fueled this controversy, before sitting down for some brewskis with the Professor and the Cop, his comment that “any of us would be pretty angry,” is worthy of some follow-up. What exactly about this situation would make the President angry?  If a police officer was on his front step and asked for some identification, is anger a reasonable response?  It is understandable that following the arrest for disorderly conduct, the homeowner might be angry, but why does the President assume that the mere presence of a police officer responding to a 911 call would make most of his fellow citizens angry?  Wouldn't a sane response be to ask the officer, what seems to be the problem, rather than flying off the handle? Second, Skip Gates' record of scholarship is certainly heavy on claims of systemic racism.  But as a friend of mine pointed out, Gates was arrested after big-timing a working class cop.  In other words, at the same time Gates was throwing a classroom-honed fit about racism in America – and is now preparing to lecture this poor cop and the rest of America on race relations – his do you know who I am riff suggests that he knew quite well that his position as a distinguished Harvard University professor and all around big shot would in fact prove a get out of jail free card, regardless of his race.  So given President Obama's familiarity with Professor Gates and his scholarship, does this episode put into question whether Skip Gates even buys the racial grievance he is selling, or is it all just a well-compensated shtick? This question should also be posed to Professor Gates, who seems to be recovering quite well in Los Angeles, prior to continuing his summer on Martha’s Vineyard. Finally, in retrospect has the President considered the possibility that this episode demonstrates the remarkably progressive nature of the Cambridge PD?  After all, they appear willing to arrest anybody, no matter his race, if he is stupid enough to cause a scene and scream at a police officer, just trying to do his job.