Where It All Went Wrong

I really didn't want to write another post about the Gates arrest. The issue has been blown entirely out of proportion, and the criticisms leveled against the president by conservative pundits have gotten to be very unfair.

But I think it's worth listening to Juan William's explanation of where Obama went wrong. It's also worth reading Eugene Robinson's article criticizing Sergeant Crowley's actions.

Amidst all the hubbub, there is one rather trivial point that has been bugging me. I keep hearing various media pundits suggesting that black and Hispanic drivers are more likely than white drivers to be stopped by police. As far as I know, that's not true. Minority drivers are more likely than white drivers to be searched by policy during traffic stops, but no more likely to be stopped.

This certainly shouldn't diminish the fundamental grievance, but I think it's important from a policy perspective to know the precise nature of the problem, isn't it?