President Obama Hopes to Settle Racial Dispute Over Beers

By Germain Lussier on July 29th, 2009

After you’ve put your foot in your mouth, the only solution is an ice cold beer.

Last week, Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley arrested Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. in Massachusetts after a verbal dispute outside Gates’ house. Someone reported a break in at Gates’ house and when Crowley got to the scene, he found Gates. However, Gates was just trying to get into his own home after a business trip. An exchange ensued and Gates was arrested. Many felt that Crowley, who is white, only arrested Gates because he was black, not knowing that it was his own house.

Soon after the incident President Obama said the police had “acted stupidly” without having all the facts. He caught some slack for immediately siding with Gates, who is a friend of his, and called Crowley to apologize. The officer suggested the trio have a beer to discuss the matter and President Obama agreed.

That meeting will happen on Thursday evening and has escalated into a full on Beergate!

Who will drink what beer? Can the President drink beer? How many beers will be drank? Well, one of the questions has been answered, according to the Washington Times. “‘Mr. Obama will likely sip a Budweiser, Sgt. Crowley a Blue Moon, and Mr. Gates either a Red Stripe or Beck’s,’ the White House said.”

“There’s no formal agenda other than cold beer,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told the Times. “I think the president wants to continue to take the temperature down a bit, look for the constructive parts that can come out of it,” he said.

If you take out all the stupid political stuff, it’s actually pretty cool that the President of the United States would sit down with two civilians to discuss a dispute that became a national headline. Let’s just hope that maybe something more comes out of it than controversy over the fact that they are drinking beer instead of just having dinner.