This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8168313.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Obama regrets 'stupid' comments | Obama regrets 'stupid' comments |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama has told reporters he should not have described the arrest of a black Harvard professor as "stupid". | US President Barack Obama has told reporters he should not have described the arrest of a black Harvard professor as "stupid". |
| Mr Obama has faced criticism for wading into the controversy during a televised news conference on Wednesday. | Mr Obama has faced criticism for wading into the controversy during a televised news conference on Wednesday. |
| Professor Gates was apprehended at his own home after a witness saw him apparently trying to force his way in. | Professor Gates was apprehended at his own home after a witness saw him apparently trying to force his way in. |
| He was held for disorderly conduct after allegedly accusing the arresting officer, Sgt James Crowley, of racism. | He was held for disorderly conduct after allegedly accusing the arresting officer, Sgt James Crowley, of racism. |
| 'Good man' | |
| Making a surprise appearance at the daily White House press briefing, Mr Obama said he should have chosen his words more carefully at his Wednesday news conference. | Making a surprise appearance at the daily White House press briefing, Mr Obama said he should have chosen his words more carefully at his Wednesday news conference. |
| "Because this has been ratcheting up and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, I wanted to make clear in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt Crowley specifically," Mr Obama said. | "Because this has been ratcheting up and I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, I wanted to make clear in my choice of words I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sgt Crowley specifically," Mr Obama said. |
| "I could have calibrated those words differently," he added. | "I could have calibrated those words differently," he added. |
| Mr Obama also revealed that he had spoken to Sgt Crowley on the telephone, and described him as an "outstanding police officer and a good man". | |
| He said he continued to believe that Professor Gates's arrest was "an overreaction", but that "Professor Gates probably overreacted as well". | |
| On Wednesday, Mr Obama had said: "The Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home". | |
| And he put the arrest on the context of "the long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately". | |
| Critics seized on his comments, saying the president should not be getting involved in individual cases, especially if he was not in full posession of the facts. | |
| Officers were called to Prof Gates's house after a woman reported seeing two black males - the professor and his driver - trying to force entry. | |
| Prof Gates's lawyer later said the professor had just returned from a trip overseas and, upon arriving at the property with a driver, found his front door jammed and had to force it open. | |
| Although the exact facts of the incident are disputed, Prof Gates was asked to provide the officer with identification. He was then asked to step outside his house and was arrested. | |
| According to police, Prof Gates shouted at the officer and accused him of racial bias. |