Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) doesn't think an invitation for
free beers at the White House cuts it -- he wants the president
to retract and apologize for his comment that Sgt. James Crowley
"acted stupidly" in arresting Harvard Professor Henry Louis
Gates. McCotter, a member of the House Republican leadership
team, introduced a resolution to that effect yesterday. During a
conference call this afternoon, he framed it as an issue of
presidential power.
"If you want to talk about an overexpansion of presidential
powers," McCotter said, "You have the most powerful man in the
world admit bias toward a party and a lack of facts and determine
that a police seargant in Cambridge, Massachusetts acted
improperly." McCotter emphasized the "inherently unequal power
relationship" between President Obama and Sgt. Crowley.
McCotter acknowledged that the Democrats were unlikely to bring
his resolution to the floor but said it was important to state
the principle that the president should not have the power to
"prejudge" and "accuse a private citizen of wrondoing." McCotter
was not satisfied with the president's efforts to "recalibrate"
his remarks and tone down the controversy, calling it "a
stylistic change, not a substantive change."
"The president reiterated that the officer did something wrong,"
McCotter said. He continued by saying that if the president could
force the CEO of General Motors to resign, this is a terrible
precedent to set with a local police officer. Michigan's police
union backs McCotter's resolution. "After admitting a bias
against the police officer and an ignorance of the facts, the
President used his bully pulpit to help a well connected friend
by unfairly accusing an officer of misconduct in the performance
of his duties. It must not stand. If it does, what officer will
be next?"
If Professor Gates had gotten shot down on a Tehran street, would
President Obama have been hesistant to say a damn word?
Extremely Extreme Extremist| 7.28.09 @ 7:06PM
Tim, he probably would have said that Gates, despite being black,
had acted stupidly and that all Americans apologize for his
death. Then he would have bowed, paid reparations, backed out of
the mosque, and ordered a ponderous tome ghostwritten for him
called "The Art of Diplomacy: Don't Taze Me, Bro, Don't Taze Me."
Tim| 7.28.09 @ 4:12PM
If Professor Gates had gotten shot down on a Tehran street, would President Obama have been hesistant to say a damn word?
Extremely Extreme Extremist| 7.28.09 @ 7:06PM
Tim, he probably would have said that Gates, despite being black, had acted stupidly and that all Americans apologize for his death. Then he would have bowed, paid reparations, backed out of the mosque, and ordered a ponderous tome ghostwritten for him called "The Art of Diplomacy: Don't Taze Me, Bro, Don't Taze Me."