Obama called police officer involved in Prof. Gates incident

This took on a life of its own over the past couple days -- starting with Obama's answer to Lynn Sweet's question at the press conference about the arrest of Prof. Henry Gates in Cambridge.

Today, Obama tried to quell the controversy by calling the police officer -- then announcing it himself in the White House press briefing room. I've had CNN on all day, and they've been breathlessly reporting every development.

Obama hopes this is a "teachable moment." Probably, the smartest and most insightful analysis on this subject was the one by Pam Spaulding. She holds everyone involved accountable. Pam has the ability to cut through issues and arguments in a way that few others can. It's because she has common sense, a rare commodity these days.