Colin Powell on arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates: "You don't argue with cops"Retired Gen. Colin Powell weighed in Tuesday on the controversial arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., chiding his friend for not cooperating with the cops.
"When you're faced with an officer trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him," Powell told CNN's "Larry King Live."
"I was taught that as a child. You don't argue with a police officer."
Gates flew off the handle July 16 when a cop investigating a reported break-in asked him to prove he lived in his own house.
"I think he should have reflected on whether or not this was the time to make that big a deal," Powell said.
But he also questioned why Gates, a frail 58-year-old who is one of the nation's most prominent black intellectuals, was handcuffed and hauled downtown after it was clear he hadn't done anything.
"I would have thought at that point some adult supervision would have stepped in and said, 'Okay, look, it is his house. Come on, let's not take this any further. Take the handcuffs off,'" Powell said.
Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley booked Gates for disorderly conduct, a charge that was dropped as the arrest became a national rumpus. President Obama hopes to smooth things over with some brewski diplomacy tomorrow at the White House.
Gates and Crowley will be hoisting cold ones with the President at 6 p.m. at Obama's picnic table on the South Lawn. Both may bring their families.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it would be a "poignant" photo op proving people can discuss their differences. "There's no formal agenda other than cold beer," he said.
In other news, the Bronx-raised Powell offered a ringing endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg. "He is working for the whole city. So I think Mike Bloomberg should be given a third term," he said.
"When you're faced with an officer trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him," Powell told CNN's "Larry King Live."
"I was taught that as a child. You don't argue with a police officer."
Gates flew off the handle July 16 when a cop investigating a reported break-in asked him to prove he lived in his own house.
"I think he should have reflected on whether or not this was the time to make that big a deal," Powell said.
But he also questioned why Gates, a frail 58-year-old who is one of the nation's most prominent black intellectuals, was handcuffed and hauled downtown after it was clear he hadn't done anything.
"I would have thought at that point some adult supervision would have stepped in and said, 'Okay, look, it is his house. Come on, let's not take this any further. Take the handcuffs off,'" Powell said.
Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley booked Gates for disorderly conduct, a charge that was dropped as the arrest became a national rumpus. President Obama hopes to smooth things over with some brewski diplomacy tomorrow at the White House.
Gates and Crowley will be hoisting cold ones with the President at 6 p.m. at Obama's picnic table on the South Lawn. Both may bring their families.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said it would be a "poignant" photo op proving people can discuss their differences. "There's no formal agenda other than cold beer," he said.
In other news, the Bronx-raised Powell offered a ringing endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg. "He is working for the whole city. So I think Mike Bloomberg should be given a third term," he said.
