After a lawyerly recitation of the facts and a irony laden funny about the prospect of being shot while trying to jimmy the lock to his (white) house, Obama states, “Cambridge police acted stupidly…in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”

I appreciate that he points to studies that establish racial profiling happens and his support for anti-racial profiling legislation. Something about learning that the POTUS would be on the same side of this debate if this were to unfold in let’s say in criminal procedure class in law school or in an online comment thread to a youtube video (yes, often those two forums are of similar intellectual caliber) is dare I use that terrible word…empowering. Ha ha! The President is on My Team! I win!

I’m left to resort to trite terms and not so fresh observations because it kind of feels like the first time I’ve felt this way about the White House/President.

Something about succumbing to trite terms calls for more laziness so to use another uncreative and too loosely defined word–leaderhsip. Having someone in power setting the tone for a debate (facts, legislation, funnies and personal experience) and being clear where he stands on a controversial topic makes it easier for the rest of us. Or something like that.

It’s all deep, moving, inspirational, empowering, leadership-y. Really.

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