I'm quite liberal, have black friends, worked hard for Obama and while I've never been a fan of Gates on PBS I wasn't sure he was a self-centered jerk until this incident.

I’d love to ask Gates if it’s possible for a black man like him to be arrested by a white cop like Crowley without race entering into the picture. In other words, besides the fact that he’s black, what other evidence was there that he was arrested because of his race?

Does every questionable arrest of a black man by a white cop mean that the problem was race? Even if we're not post-racial, we should be able to tease out real racial profiling from a messy arrest where the mess isn't caused by race.

This is where Gates and Obama aren't backing up far enough to see why this event has pulled many of us who would normally be supporting Gates in this situation away from immediate support.

History being what it is (and I don’t deny it) does every black man arrested by any white cop, for any reason under any circumstances get to use racial profiling to undermine the legitimacy of the arrest?

Had Crowley been black, how might that have changed Gates’ reaction to being asked for ID?

If that would have changed things then I think Gates is the one doing the profiling and yes, this too may be the result of that terrible history. But, to use this as a “poster case” for racial profiling is a mistake because it’s not and that dismisses all of the other issues involved here: class privilege, a gun culture and more.

This is a teachable moment but I sure hope Gates alone isn’t the one doing the teaching.

I think Victor Washington got it right but I'll add a small detail that I've not seen in any of the comments here.

I happened to see this story when it first hit the wires almost as it was happening and the way it was first reported was that Gates refused to show his ID when first asked. Most of you have missed that point and its crucial. Anyone of any class or race is looking for trouble when they refuse to show ID to police when asked.

According to the first report of this incident, Gates was irritated both because the officer didn't know who he was and that he was being asked for ID at all in his own house. But, if the officer didn't know it was his house or who he was, black or white, it's up to Gates to help clear that up by immediately producing ID. He did not do that and that small spark led to the rest of it.

When I first saw this I felt it was simply the wrong time and place to make an issue of racial profiling because it's not a clean case, there was a misunderstanding that Gates didn't help clear up. Of course racial profiling happens and it's no fun to be on the receiving end of it but the best way to get on the plane or into your house is to put yourself in the place of the TSA agent or cop and help them do their job so you can go on your way.

If you put anyone of any race or class in Gates' place and that person refuses to show ID and starts an argument about being asked, I'd be surprised if the police just walked away with an apology.

Joan, you made the classic mistake of "feeding trolls" by going on that show. It seems like you went on for the same reason that people who confront trolls do it: someone has to stand up to them. In fact, this is just what trolls and O'Reilly want.

Don't feed trolls, in comment threads, on TV, anywhere.

By the way, I'm on your side of the debate and you did fine but I'd have avoided that show.

This is Joan's space and she gets to control the tone of comments. Don't like it, as she says, take it someplace else.

I think she's warned you openly and carefully and if you keep poking and testing my guess is you'll be blocked. Given the nature of your comments if this were my space I'd have blocked you long ago.

Play nice and be heard.

Both you and Jay were great on Moyers tonight: same message, different styles.

Thanks for stating that there haven't been large scale demonstrations in this country since the start of the Iraq war and combining that with the idea that people outside the "norm" don't get on TV talk shows. I was wondering what you and Jay were doing on Moyers when you said that but of course Moyers himself is not exactly in the mainstream.

We watch Moyers every week (no doubt says something about us that we're home on Friday nights) and while we didn't know you'd be on this week we were glad to see you (my wife reads here too).

I have to say Glenn, you're speaking style is much like your writing style: well articulated and packed. Maybe a bit too packed for my pea brain to keep up with. Still, it was a pleasure to see you on Moyers, a person my wife and I have followed for a lot of years and respect greatly.

I think phone pranks like this are in bad taste and cruel and for Joan to post this doesn't do anything for Obama.

All of us know Palin is small minded and dangerous. Better to keep posting links to Jane Mayer's New Yorker article on how the neocons chose her than stuff like this.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/27/081027fa_fact_mayer