Maybe They Should Have Checked With Crowley First

One of the dangers of trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill is that the mole hill can actually get smaller.

I imagine that's how Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) must be feeling as he introduced a resolution demanding that President Obama formally apologize to the Cambridge police force for remarks he made about arrest of his friend Professor Louis Gates, Jr.

The only problem is the President has already made a conciliatory speech in which he expressed regret over the words he used.

Not enough for Rep. McCotter? Okay, how about inviting Gates and the officer involved Sgt. James Crowley to the White House for a beer? Sure it sounded like a joke, but turns out it was a serious offer and Crowley has accepted. He's even placed his drink order, a Blue Moon. (If it were me, I would have ordered the real fancy stuff. The one that's aged in Kentucky Bourbon casks and costs $72 a bottle.)

So McCotter can go ahead and introduce his measure on the floor (see below foe full text)meanwhile the man he's supposedly defending will be at the White House sharing a brew with the President who supposedly did him such grievous harm. Obama, Crowley and Gates will, later this week will do what they all should have done in the first place and what the GOP ought to do now about this whole situation, namely chill out.

Whereas on July 16, 2009, Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley responded to a 911 call from a neighbor of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis ("Skip") Gates, Jr. about a suspected break-in in progress at his residence, which had been broken into on a prior occasion;

Whereas on July 22, 2009, in responding to a question during a White House press conference President Barack Obama stated: "Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all of the facts involved in this local police response incident";
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Whereas President Obama proceeded to state Sergeant Crowley "acted stupidly" for arresting Professor Gates on charges of disorderly conduct;

Whereas, as a former Constitutional Law Professor, President Obama well understands that all Americans are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and their actions should not be prejudged prior to being fully and fairly judged by an appropriate and objective authority after due process;

Whereas, President Obama's nationally televised remarks may likely detrimentally influence the full and fair judgment by an appropriate and objective authority after due process regarding this local police response incident and, thereby, impair Sergeant Crowley's legal and professional standing in relation to said incident; and

Whereas, President Obama appeared at a daily White House Press briefing on July 24, 2009 to address his denouncement of Sergeant Crowley and stated: "I could have calibrated those words differently" but "I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station."

Whereas, President Obama's refusal to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Sergeant Crowley and, instead, reiterate his accusation impugning Sergeant Crowley's professional conduct in the performance of his duties;

Now therefore be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

Calls upon President Obama to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley for having unfairly impugned and prejudged his professional conduct in this local police response incident