Obama throws 'Skip' Gates under the bus

By Thomas Lifson

The polling and focus groups must be telling Obama, Emanuel and Axelrod that his presser remarks have been a disaster, so the President made an unannounced appearance at the White House press briefing still underway as this is being posted.

The transcripts are not available yet, but the President, in his remarks, stated that Professor Gates probably overreacted (I paraphrase crudely.) In other words, both sides overreacted.

Now this is quite a change from the Cambridge Police "acting stupidly."

Doesn't it suggest that the President was racially profiling Sgt. Crowley? Why else would he initially criticize only the white man? Especially when he admitted he didn't know the facts. Rush Limbaugh is calling him President Nifong, and the label really suits him.

He also stated that he's trying to arrange a meeting at the White House with Gates, Crowley and himself.

Why hasn't the President apologized for profiling and criticizing based on incomplete knowledge? It seems to me that ought to precede any such meeting.