Obama Does Damage Control on Gates/Cambridge Police

In a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room this afternoon, President Obama addressed the controversy surrounding his statement Wednesday night that police who arrested Harvard's Professor Gates had been "acting stupidly". "In my choice of words, I unfortunately gave the impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically," Obama said. The president spoke with Sgt. Crowley this afternoon and said that the conversation confirmed his impression that Crowley "was an outstanding police officer and a good man." Obama said both Crowley and Gates were "good men" who had both likely "overreacted". Obama has not yet spoken to Professor Gates, but Sgt. Crowley had suggested the three of them have a beer at the White House. Obama didn't say if he apologized to Crowley, and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refused to answer repeated questions about whether Obama had apologized. Obama said it was "unfortunate" that "my words contributed to more media frenzy" and hoped this would serve as a "teachable moment" in which all of us "spend more time listening to each other". Earlier today, Gibbs told reporters: "I think [President Obama] would probably regret distracting you guys with obsessions." To get a look at the firestorm Obama was trying to put out today, see the last minute of this Jon Stewart segment from last night: