Did Obama have a right to comment on Gate's case

[thepizzadude 26]

Do you think Obama had a right to comment?

Clearly he has a "right" to comment.

He also has an obligation to have the teleprompter on so he does not say something stupid...... like he did.

I am glad you agree that he has the right. Which means you agree that he is a citizen. Sans publicizing his BC.

Oh noes ... LOL

[Sofiyya 1,687]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Sofiyya

[Nagishkaw 510]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Putting aside for the moment the actual arrest. Do you think Obama had a right to comment?

I believe he did. While it was a local matter, he is connected to it since he and Gates were friends. It would be like McCain getting arrested and Lieberman speaking up for him.

Yes. He has a right to put his foot in his mouth too. He exercised both.

[Ban Hammer 13,643]

Do you think Obama had a right to comment?

Clearly he has a "right" to comment.

He also has an obligation to have the teleprompter on so he does not say something stupid...... like he did.

I am glad you agree that he has the right. Which means you agree that he is a citizen. Sans publicizing his BC.

Daniel

so only citizens have the right to freedom of speech? i bet that plays real well at your house.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

Well at least he isn't saying things like this:

"I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 26, 2008

or

"You know, I'm the President during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so, before I arrived in President, during I arrived in President." --George W. Bush, ABC News interview, Dec. 1, 2008

Damn North Koreans hiding in the white house right under our noses......

Edited July 24, 2009 by lancer1655

[NickD 203]

that the Cambridge police acted stupidly left off the end of the sentence, after the professor showed the police his ID. Gates version is the cop never apolized or said it was okay, just stood there with a stupid expression on his face.

Just heard both voices Gates, and Obama on PBS radio, and amazed how the media twists the stories to make an incident out of this. We also live in a country loaded with liars.

[nowhereman 1]

Yes President Obama had the right to comment on the case... like it or not the case has received much national attention. On the one hand I believe Obama shouldn't have said that Officer Crowley "acted stupidly". On the other hand racism is alive & well in the USA (white vs. black, black vs. white & pretty much any combination you can think of) & for the individuals (both nationally & on VJ) who scoff at the idea that blacks are still discriminated against you are very, very misinformed.

Did racism play a part in this particular case? My gut feeling is no... from all accounts Officer Crowley is an outstanding officer. Did Professor Gates assume he was dealing with a racist officer, based on past negative experiences with police officers? I would guess yes. I think the take away from this whole ordeal is that both Gates & Crowley could have & should have acted more rationally & calmly. It is an incident that shouldn't have happened.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Do you think Obama had a right to comment?

Clearly he has a "right" to comment.

He also has an obligation to have the teleprompter on so he does not say something stupid...... like he did.

I am glad you agree that he has the right. Which means you agree that he is a citizen. Sans publicizing his BC.

Daniel

so only citizens have the right to freedom of speech? i bet that plays real well at your house.

Non citizens are not allowed to have an opinion.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

Well at least he isn't saying things like this:

"I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., June 26, 2008

or

"You know, I'm the President during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so, before I arrived in President, during I arrived in President." --George W. Bush, ABC News interview, Dec. 1, 2008

Damn North Koreans hiding in the white house right under our noses......

No, in addition to the stupidity on exhibition during his latest press conference, Barry has Dumb Obamaisms, like:

"it was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of -- I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing." --confusing German for "Austrian," a language which does not exist, Strasbourg, France, April 6, 2009

"No, no. I have been practicing...I bowled a 129. It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something." --making an off-hand joke during an appearance on "The Tonight Show", March 19, 2009 (Obama later called the head of the Special Olympics to apologize)

"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." --at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon

"It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." --explaining his troubles winning over some working-class voters

"The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, you know, there's a reaction that's been bred in our experiences that don't go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society."

"In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died -- an entire town destroyed." --on a Kansas tornado that killed 12 people

And, my personal favorite, so far:

"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today -- our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."

[spookyturtle 9,466]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

You should practice what you preach.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

You should practice what you preach.

Act more presidential? That would please you?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.

You should practice what you preach.

Act more presidential? That would please you?

No, follow Mark Twain's advice.

[Amor1 0]

Normally, I agree with most of what President Obama says and does. However, on this one, I just wish he had not taken the bait. When the reporter posed the question, I felt in my gut, any answer would detract from the health reform debate--why he was having the televised briefing in the first place. As an African American man, I'm sure that he knows what it feels like to be violated in that way by the police or others in authority. Yet, sometimes, it's best just to say, "I'll wait to get all the facts." Then move on with other matters. He does not have to weigh in on every injustice to African Americans b/c there are plenty of us who can. He is in the best position to get people to listen, but find other ways to bring minority issues/concerns to light. Only my opinion! Amor1

[cdneh 3,112]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." -

-- Mark Twain

Barry would do well to keep the above quote in mind. He does, after all, have Joe to do the major gaffing.

He may be a citizen, but above all, he is the president of all the people, not merely Skip's bud, or a the leader of aggrevated Black men. He needs to remember to tap down his knee jerk negativity toward authority figures and show some wisdom instead of having such a loose lip. Personally, I'm enjoying how he has been shooting himself in the foot lately. It was highly predictable, since he is such a rank amateur, not ready for prime time poser, but since the lowest common denominators had the last word in the presidential election, we're stuck with him for now and he needs to do more to hold it together like a leader and not like a community organizer.