OK -- So There Were 4, Not 3; They Changed the Table Arrangement; What's the Big News

UPDATE 1:17 pm: Having listened to Sergeant Crowley's press conference last night, I think he would give a 'thumbs up' to Professor Gates's reflections just posted in the NYT about last night's get together.

Professor Gates does walk an extra mile in his comments, saying that over the past week, he has reflected on the “the contributions the police make” and had "come to appreciate them more."

Sergeant Crowley did not express any reverse sensitivity, but did say that he needed a few days off to refect on all that has happened.Crowley did speak of future meetings with Professor Gates and opportunities for the two of them to work together in some way, advancing a better understanding of how we can learn and live better from this national experience.

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Original Post:

My apologies for getting the table setup wrong. I believed Fox News, and that is the truth.

Actually, it was a good idea not to spread previously bad karma on Sasha and Malia's swing set. Why get a classic American icon like a picnic table involved in a racial brouhaha?

via Sydney Morning HeraldOk, so the setting was white table and Joe came, too. I was worried about the body language and seating arrangement, but Chris Matthews says it was necessary for the photo ops. Not sure, Chris.

Now this is a mighty nice photo!

President Barack Obama, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley walk from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009. Official White House Photo by Pete SouzaI heard Sergeant Crowley's news conference afterwards, and I conclude that "a star is born'. He was masterful: poised; circumspect; articulate; empathetic. Expect him to run for public office.

What else are people saying? Back in 15. (I'm deeply involved in Lubna's trouser spectacle and new word from the Vatican.) Anne

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POTUS Says: Three 'Regular' Guys Havin' a Beer. Right!

Lucia Whalen won't be joining the guys for a beer, although her life has also been totally disrupted by the 911 call that she made to Cambridge police, expressing concern about the Gates residence.

Whalen's lawyer does comment -- as I have -- that the three guys with special training 'blew it' in handling just about every aspect of this incident. Whalen was the level-headed one in this matter.

Whalen has been called a racist and is the target of scorn by bloggers who assert that she would never have made the call if the men were white. Whalen was on her way to buy lunch, when she was approached by an elderly woman distressed by a possible breakin in process. She says that she has been threatened.

We reported the facts of Whalen's 911 call on Monday: No Mention of Race or Burglary by Lucia Whalen in Her 911 Call About a Potential Problem at the Gates Residence.

This is a very tough, heart-rendering tape of a caring, professional, community-minded woman who tried to do the right thing.

We criticize people for not getting involved in our communities, but Lucia Whalen gives us insights into what can happen to us, when we do.

Professor Gates 911 Caller Lucia Whalen Holds Press Conference

And What IS the Seating Arrangement in Tomorrow's Picnic Table Talks?

Forgive me, if I'm not on my game regarding the picnic table talks. A bunch of us are devoted to broadcasting Lubna Ahmed Hussein's court appearance in the Sudan this morning and changing the law against women wearing trousers in public.

This gender-balanced international group wants to see women wearing trousers where and when they please around the world.

The Boys Club Picnic Table Summit

This is my question: what is the seating arrangement on the South Lawn tomorrow night?

Read about the beer brews destined for the Picnic Table TalksWhen POTUS sits down with Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for a cold beer, who is sitting where?

Gates and Crowley must sit together, right? We can't have three guys sitting together and no one on the other bench. The picnic table will fall over, with uneven distribution of testosterone. 

Much as I love testosterone, this seating arrangement just won't work in the modern world.

Perhaps Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can coach the boys on how to get along in life.

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Lucia Whalen Holds News Conference; General Powell 'Talks Turkey', and Pundits Pontificate in Advance of the Picnic Table Talks

We have on our hands an Energizer bunny story, with the Gates case. It just keeps going and going.

POTUS is speaking now, so no live coverage of the Lucia Whalen news conference, in progress at Cambridge's Fresh Pond Mall.

Anne's Daily Gumbo, Sasha and Malia Now Able to Get Away from the Washington Crowds, March 5, 2009It seems that Whalen won't be joining the boys for a beer tomorrow evening 6 pm, at Obama's South Lawn picnic table. And neither will General Colin Powell, who lent his insights into the discussion on Larry King last night.

Who knew that Sasha and Malia's 'getaway' would take on such a prominent place in the annals of American history.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it would be a "poignant" photo op proving people can discuss their differences. "There's no formal agenda other than cold beer," he said. via NY Daily News

Retired general Colin Powell on Larry King, Tues. July 28, 2009General Powell maintained his normal, circumspect composure, suggesting that Professor Gates might have considered whether 'now' is the time, to go for the jugular on racial profiling (my words, not General Powell's.)

On the other hand, General Powell seems to agree with level heads like mine, that "once they felt they had to bring Dr. Gates out of the house and to handcuff him, I would have thought at that point some adult supervision would have stepped in and said, 'OK, look, it is his house. Come on, let's not take this any further. Take the handcuffs off. Goodnight, Dr. Gates.' " via Boston Globe

When asked if he had been the victim of racial profiling, General Powell said "yes", sharing with Larry King his own experiences of trying to convince people that he really was a national security adviser to the president of the United States. Anne

No Mention of Race or Burglary by Lucia Whalen in Her 911 Call About a Potential Problem at the Gates Residence

The 911 call to police has been released has been released in the Gates case. It's important that all of us hear it, because Lucia Whalen really was trying to be a good neighbor. Period.

The call itself should make Henry Lewis Gates Jr. feel somewhat better.

Lucia Whalen's 911 Call

Whalen makes it clear that she doesn't know if anything is actually wrong at the house. She makes this statement multiple times. Whalen NEVER mentions race or skin color. The only reason that skin color comes into the conversation is because the dispatcher asks her.

911 Dispatcher Asks Race of Men

When Whalen is asked by the dispatcher about the race of the individuals, she never utters the word 'black' men. She answers that one man might be Hispanic. Listening to the entire tape, it's clear that Lucia Whalen was only trying to do the right thing, and she was prodded on by another neighbor on the street.

Attorney Wendy Murphy, who represents Whalen, also categorically rejected part of the police report that said Whalen talked with Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, at the scene. Whalen says there was no mention of race in her comments on the phone, and that she never talked to Sgt. Crowley. Period.

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