This is pretty much off topic for this blog but the flap over the Obama comment about the arrest of Louis Gates seems to be getting out of control.

Politico.com is reporting that the Cambridge, Mass. police union was demanding an apology for the characterization of the arresting officer as “stupid.” The White House is sticking to its guns and dismissed the request for an apology as unimportant since policemen in general did not support Obama.

Of course, it’s really about race and it’s developing in an ugly direction. The puzzle is how Obama, who finessed this issue so well during the election, has now become tone deaf. He went where he shouldn’t have during the press conference and now seems to not know how to get out of the quicksand.

In many respects it’s a shame. I’m not naive enough to believe that the election settled racial issues in this country but it did move the ball forward. For that, if nothing else, Obama will forever be able to take credit. Hopefully, he finds his sea legs and stops the downward spiral this thing seems to be on.