Over beer, 2 say let the fuss go

Professor, policeman talk at White House, agree to disagree

By BY BEN FELLER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted: July 31, 2009 at 5:42 a.m.

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WASHINGTON — With mugs of beer and calming words, President Barack Obama and the professor and policeman engulfed in a national uproar over race pledged Thursday to move on and try to pull the country with them.

There was no acrimony - nor apology - from any of the three: black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.; white Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley, who had arrested Gates for disorderly conduct; and Obama, who declared on national TV that the police had "acted stupidly." But neither Gates nor Crowley backtracked either, agreeing they still had differences.

Said Obama after the highly anticipated, 40-minute chat on the Rose Garden patio: "I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart."

"I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode," said Obama.

Under the canopy of a magnolia tree in the early evening, Obama joined the other players in a story that had knocked the White House off stride. Vice President Joe Biden joined them for drinks and snacks.

The policeman and the professor both expressed respect for each other after their dispute that unleashed a furor over profiling in America.

It all began two weeks ago when Crowley was called to investigate a potential burglary at Gates' house and ended up arresting the protesting professor for disorderly conduct. The matter mushroomed when Obama made his comment in a prime-time news conference. The president later expressed regret. In Cambridge, the charge was dropped.

"We agreed to move forward," Crowley said Thursday night when asked if anything was solved in the meeting. "I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future."

Although Obama had invited Crowley and Gates as part of what he called a "teachable moment," it wasn't quite reachable for the masses. The coverage allowed the public to get the we've-come-together photos and video footage that the White House wanted, while keeping the discussion private among the men.

They were seen chatting with one another, each with a mug of beer - Biden's was nonalcoholic.

The media were stationed far away, out of earshot, and ushered away quickly.

Crowley, 42, and Gates, 58, said they were planning to meet again, and Obama hopes he can now pivot back to health care and other issues with this distracting story behind him.

Obama called it a "friendly, thoughtful conversation." He praised Crowley and Gates for having already spent a little time listening to each other.

Before anyone showed up, Obama did what his aides had been doing for days: lowering expectations.

"I noticed this has been called the 'Beer Summit.' It's a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys," Obama told reporters. "This is three folks having a drink at the end of the day, and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. And that's really all it is. This is not a university seminar."

Before the photo-op moment of diplomacy, Obama said he was "fascinated by the fascination about this evening."

The White House meeting drew such media interest that press secretary Robert Gibbs said he looked forward to facing no more questions about what beers each man would drink. For the record, it was Bud Light for Obama, Sam Adams Light for Gates, Blue Moon for Crowley and nonalcoholic Buckler for Biden.

The White House said it did not pay for any transportation or other accommodation costs for Gates or Crowley.

Information for this article was contributed by Darlene Superville, Philip Elliott, Jennifer Loven and Karen Testa of The Associated Press.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/31/2009

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