Free Republic

Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s quest to piece together Abraham Lincoln’s complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, D.C., and face-to-face with people who live with Lincoln every day – relic hunters, re-enactors, and others for whom the study of Lincoln is a passion.

TDC Asks: Was it right or wrong for Obama to have involved himself in this matter? It sure would be nice if Obama could actually focus and do something for the millions of Americans who continue to lose their jobs, their houses, etc, rather than running off at the mouth about healthcare reform and the Americacorps volunteer program.

President Obama says his choice of words unfortunately gave the impression that he was maligning against the Cambridge Police Department. Obama said, he hopes as a "consequence" that this event becomes a "teachable moment" where people spend more time "listening to each other" and to generally improve relationships between minorities and police officers. Obama said more unity is needed. Regarding this being a local issue, Obama said he felt like he needed to step in because race is still a "troubling" aspect in our society.