Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

Well, the great Whitehouse beer bash is over. Obama, the " bartender-in-chief ," had a Bud Light and Crowley, the arresting officer, had a Blue Moon.  Henry Gates initially asked for a Jamaica Red Stripe but switched to a Sam Adams . Joe Biden (designated driver) went with a non-alcoholic Buckler. In a written statement , Obama thanked Gates and Crowley for "joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation." Predictably, Fox News criticized the president's choice of beer.

It would appear the blow up over Black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr .'s recent arrest by Cambridge police for disorderly conduct is about to settle down . Exact details of the incident seem to depend on who is recounting them, but most agree on the following: Gates was hauled off in handcuffs after bitching out cops who showed up when he broke into his own home. Several black writers have suggested Gate's outrage over his arrest may have been fueled as much by social stature as race. Regardless, given the fact that 58 year old Henry Gates is a diminutive figure-- hardly threatening, the charge of " disorderly conduct " seems overstated at best. His offense was more likely that unwritten law, "contempt of cop." Gates was later released without being charged and the Cambridge police department termed the episode "regrettable" (a non-apology apology if I ever heard one). During Obama's recent health care press conference, a reporter aske...