Apologies: What is Enough? President Obama’s Reaction to Professor Gates’ Arrest
by Amy Newman, Cornell University
Obama, Gates and Crowley after their "beer conference"
When Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested at his Cambridge home on July 20, 2009, President Obama was fairly quick to weigh in. The president said “the Cambridge police acted stupidly,” while acknowledging, “I don’t know, not having been there and not having seen all the facts…”
Probably after gathering more information, President Obama said (with Palinesque grammar), “The extent that my choice of words didn’t illuminate but rather contributed to more media frenzy, I think that was unfortunate.” He also said, “…in my choice of words, I think, I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt. Crowley specifically, and I could’ve calibrated those words differently.”
Although his words may not quite measure up to Tony Simons’ three steps to apologizing and recovering described in The Integrity Dividend, let’s consider how Obama did demonstrate this important element of personal discipline-and whether it was “enough.”
1. Acknowledge that you made a promise and failed to deliver.
Listening to Obama’s news conference, we get the feeling that he is trying to avoid those magic words, “I apologize” or “I’m sorry.” Still, he followed some of the principles Tony Simons describes: He didn’t scapegoat others (“My assistant didn’t tell me everything”), and he didn’t fall onto a sword of shame (“I always try to do the right thing, but poor me…”).
Did he, however, make excuses? The day after his admonition, he repeated, “As I said last night, I don’t know all the details…” Well, it’s not as bad as, “Hey, at least I responded quickly!”
President Obama did express regret, in a sense, but was this enough? Perhaps only Sgt. Crowley and the Cambridge Police Department get to decide.
2. Renegotiate proactively…
By inserting himself into the situation (much to the dismay of his critics), the president may have unwittingly made a promise to the American people. He took a stand he later regretted, implying -to some of us-that he would continue an active role, working as a more objective problem-solver (rather than blamer). In a way, he did renegotiate his approach and at least continued the dialogue.
3. Fix any harm done by the initial breach, and work hard to keep it from recurring.
As our often irreverent (that is, hip) president, Obama invited Gates and Crowley to the White House for beer. Of course, this was a strategic PR move, but few would doubt Obama’s sincerity in trying to increase understanding in the situation and-perhaps more boldly-make a small dent in strained race relations in the U.S.
Judging by the press coverage of the gathering, Obama’s attempt to fix the problem was nothing if not public. One prominent image showed Crowley helping Gates, walking with his cane, down the White House steps.
Did this photo dispel Obama’s calling Crowley’s actions stupid, and therefore restore the Sergeant’s credibility? For that answer, we would need to ask the American people.
