UPDATE: Right after I published this I saw that there was a WH briefing on, that the Pres called Crowley and expressed his regret for his part in the drama, and might invite both men to a meeting at the WH. I'm going to leave this up for a while anyway, for the poll and because I still would like to see an in-person meeting.
I've always hated the "Here's what Obama should do" diaries, because I think what he ultimately ends up doing is almost always better than what the diarists suggest. So I won't say what he "should" do.
But what I hope he will do is to invite Gates and Crowley, along with their entourages, to the White House to:
- Discuss the incident in depth,
- Figure out what they can agree on and how to frame the parts they can't agree on, and
- The three of them -- Obama, Gates, and Crowley -- issue a joint, in-depth statement to the American people that resolves the conflict and enlightens all of us on racial issues.
It is clear that this thing is going to turn into another Rev-Wright-a-Thon ("All Race All The Time") unless something actively intervenes. What Obama did last time around, his Philadelphia speech, was a beautiful and wise response to that situation. But he needs to up the ante now, for several reasons:
FIRST: The speech had an impact on people of good will, but it has become clear since the Inauguration, and especially since the Sotomayor hearings, that there is still a lot of bad will in this country regarding race. And more to the point, there is still a great deal of ignorance and unawareness. Eugene Robinson's passionate statement to Mika this morning about racism vs. racially-influenced actions are just one small example of this.
SECOND: Even among people of good will -- and I think there are many on both sides of the current controversy -- we don't really know how to have the "conversations" that Obama encouraged in his speech. He could do the country a HUGE service by initiating such a conversation, modeling the process, and demonstrating how constructive the outcome can be, even when it begins with such strong feelings and bruised egos.
THIRD: He needs to do something. Police organizations all over the country are demanding that he apologize. He's obviously not going to do that, and I think in this case it might actually be a mistake to do so -- it would just provide infinite additional fodder to keep the controversy going. If he's not going to apologize, he needs to do something else to bring the situation to closure. Another speech is probably not going to cut it.
FOURTH: We've got a lot of other shit to be focusing on. He really, really needs to nip this situation in -- if not the bud, at least its early flowering. We cannot afford another six weeks of 24/7 race-baiting like we had to go through last spring. He was a candidate then and he could weather the storm and survive it. Now, he's the President, and we need him available -- full-attention, full-popularity, and full-strength -- to do the People's business.
:: ::
I'm not deluding myself; right now in the inner chambers of the West Wing, better minds than mine are probably hard at work putting together a more sophisticated plan than mine. But whether it's what I'm proposing, or some other out-of-the-box idea, there is no doubt that a game-changer is needed now.