All This For A Lousy Bud Light

I was not on Skip Gates' porch when Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley arrested the Harvard prof for breaking into his own house, or something. But since the incident has threatened to sweep health-care reform into the news media gutter, we've been privy to a good deal of information.

This includes a Gates press conference, a Crowley press conference, Obama commenting at a prime-time press conference, cops backing Crowley at a press conference, and now a press conference by the nice lady who called the cops.

The 9-1-1 tape has been made public, conservative Republicans have peed their knickers over the president coming to the defense of a prominent African-American, Michelle Malkin has managed the feat of outdoing her previous name-calling excesses, and Obama has invited Gates and Crowley to the White House today for a beer. (Bud Light, according to a knowledgeable source.)

Whew!

Anyhow, the story has legs -- as it unfortunately should not since this has been yet another occasion for shouting about race in America and not a mythic teachable moment.

Meanwhile, in the days since Gatesgate erupted, two things have become obvious: Gates is a bit of a hothead and went crosswise with Crowley instead of supplicating himself. And Crowley is a lying sack of excrement who wears a badge and a gun.

Now back to our regular programing.