The main problem with President Obama’s nationally televised comment about Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley had less to do with race and justice than it did with the unwise, immature application of presidential power.
Given his own background and friendship with Harvard professor Skip Gates, Obama’s immediate reaction to Gates’s arrest was understandable – he sided with a friend who felt victimized by petty authority. The facts surrounding the arrest, of course, are more complicated than that. While it is still not easy to be a black man in America, it is also, apparently, not easy for a police officer to deal with a prickly, self-important Harvard professor.
The difficulty here is not Obama’s view of the matter, which is shared by many. It is his use of the nation’s highest office to single out an American citizen for judgment and abuse, even if indirectly (speaking of the Cambridge police acting “stupidly”). Because of the immense disparity in position and power, the words of a president fall on an individual like a load of bricks – they can crush with the flick of a phrase. In this case, Obama used the power of his office with the awkwardness of a child pulling the wings off a fly he is trying to examine.
During my White House years, it was our general policy to ask permission of individuals mentioned favorably in presidential speeches. This was not mere politeness. Even the smallest mention in presidential remarks can bring a sweltering spotlight – inviting attention and scrutiny that may not be wanted. One can only imagine the sleepless nights of an average citizen disparaged in prime time by the president of the United States. It is a kind of cruelty, even if unintended.
President Obama, who understands the power of words, should have known better.
Michael Gerson, Washington Post
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