After nearly a week of anticipation, happy hour finally arrived Thursday at the White House.
President Obama knocked back some cold beer in the Rose Garden with the two men at the heart last week of a heated debate over race in America.
In a moment of photo-op diplomacy, Henry Louis Gates Jr., a black Harvard scholar, and James Crowley, a white police sergeant from Cambridge, Mass., drank with Obama and Vice President Biden — a gathering that some dubbed the “beer summit” to clear the air after the recent uproar.
In a written statement issued after the meeting, Obama thanked Gates and Crowley for joining him for a “friendly, thoughtful conversation.”
“I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart,” Obama said. “I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode.”
Crowley said at a news conference after the meeting that he and Gates have agreed to meet again to continue their conversation.
“This was a positive step in moving forward as opposed to reliving the events of the last couple weeks,” he said, adding that he hopes it will be the basis of meaningful conversations in the future.
The dispute began July 16 when Crowley, while investigating a report of a potential burglary at Gates’ house, arrested the professor on a charge of disorderly conduct. Gates accused police of racial profiling, and the charge was dropped — but the dispute exploded into a national debate, particularly after Obama said the police had “acted stupidly” in arresting Gates.
Obama later said he could have “calibrated” his words differently, and he organized Thursday’s gathering to diffuse any remaining tension and settle the matter with a conversation over each man’s brew of choice.
On Thursday, Gates and Crowley, dressed in dark suits, had Sam Adams Light and Blue Moon, respectively, while Obama, in rolled up shirt sleeves, had a Bud Light. Biden joined them for a non-alcoholic Bucklers.
They also munched on peanuts and pretzels served in small silver bowls as the media snapped photos.
Before the meeting, Obama tried to downplay its significance.
“With respect to tonight, I have to say I’m fascinated with the fascination about this evening,” Obama told reporters. “I know this has been called the ‘beer summit.’ It’s a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys. It’s three folks having a drink at the end of the day and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. And that’s all it is.
“This is not a university seminar. It’s not a summit. It’s an attempt to add some personal interaction when an issue has become so hyped and so symbolic that you lose sight of the fact that these are people involved including myself, all of whom are imperfect.”
(Source: Fox News)
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15 Responses
unless of course the issue was over CLASS, as in the traditional “town vs gown” controversy (academics are upper class, cops are lower class–Gates and Obama are both part of the elites)
One can only imagine the White House conversation that preceded this meeting:
Biden: “I’ll have a Budweiser.”
Obama: “No, you won’t.”
Biden: “Then I’ll have a Bud Light.”
Obama: “No, you won’t.”
Biden: “Miller?”
Obama: “No.”
Biden: “Heinekin?”
Obama: “No.”
Biden: “Amstel Light?”
Obama: “No. Nothing with alcohol. Nothing that will feed, facilitate, or other further enable your propensity to verbal gaffes and awkward moments. The last thing I need at this meeting is for you to utter some innane remark that will simply undo all of the goodwill that I am trying to put together here.”
Biden (meekly): “Decaf?”
Obama: “Too hot. I don’t trust you to not spill, either.”
The leader of the free world…. Remember that!! Amazing!!
#1: Obama should sweat Biden making some inane remark? Didn’t the moment of political foot-in-mouth occur for the Anointed One because of his inane remark?
2, you had me ROTFLMHO for 10 minutes! Shkoyach!!
Note that Biden didn’t get anything alcoholic –
is there a new rule that if the president is drinking the veep is the designated finger on the button?????????
Obama’s feet on desk in the oval office.
Now this… turning the White house into a
social club.
is there anything else Obama can do to decrease respect for the government of USA?
oh and by the way, i read in the bbc report that
Mr. Crowley still did not receive anything that in any way resembles an apology from either of the two men who had insulted him. I hope he enjoyed his beer and pretzels ’cause that’s all he’s gonna’ get.
I’m quite sure the president never gets drunk. Has anyone ever heard of a president who got drunk?
#2,
Thanks for the early-morning laugh! That was great! (Though #4 is right: Definitely a case here of the pot calling the kettle black…no pun intended.)
It was Tisha B’Av, but it reminded me of Megillas Esther: “Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Shushan was in turmoil”.
On a side note, compare Professor Gates, a Black “scholar” with any of our Gedolim, lehavdil. A gadol would never have a “beer summit”.
if we send him a keg of his favorite beer
perhaps he will invite the 44 arrested & work things out too?!?
Regarding beer:
In the fourth Perek of Gemara Sanhedrin, Rav Chiya says, “Nichnas Yayin, Yatza Sod (wine enters, and the secrets escape),” (based the Gematria (numerical value) for both Yayin and Sod being 70). As beer is a Chamar Medinah (national drink) of America, perhaps it serves the same purpose.
We all know that outspoken Vice President Biden has no secrets; accordingly he need not drink.
all this persident is for him to put his foot in his mouth and we will get all 44 arrested in the white house first they all must be demecrats
how can obama have an alcholic beverage on that day? doesn’t he know that you can’t have alcohol right after tisha bav and you have to wait until chatzos the next day? typical obama messing up mitzvos