A Teachable Moment

The beer summit has come and gone. Hopefully, Professor Gates, Sgt. Crowley and the American people can get on with their lives and put what should never have been a worldwide spectacle behind them. Looking at the brief video clip of the meeting between the president, vice president and their two invited guests, a few things immediately came to mind that I wanted to share.

First, why didn’t the president put his guests at ease by telling them to remove their suit jackets and ties? Obama and Biden were in shirtsleeves while their guests were not. For what was billed as a group of guys sitting around lawn furniture catching a drink at the end of the day in 90-degree heat, the visual there was a bit stiff and formal, don’t you think?

Next, what was up with the staffer walking out to the Rose Garden with a formal tray holding a mug of beer? Normal people don’t drink beer brought to them on trays from a staffer who looked more like an English butler. That was my teachable moment from last night: The White House, in trying to project an image of a bunch of guys sitting around trying to put something behind them, instead gave the impression of a formal, made-for-television photo-op with all of the spontaneity and realism of a Hollywood soundstage.

Style over substance once again from the Obama White House. This time, both the style and substance from the president’s teachable moment were noticeably absent.