NAACP / TEA PARTY TEA SUMMIT - OH, BROTHER

Has the Tea Party learned nothing? The victor in the Henry Louis Gates saga between he and police officer James Crowley was Crowley himself. The infamous beer summit at the White House only transpired because the Cambridge cop refused to apologize. When Gates and Obama realized that Crowley was sticking to his guns, they went into defense mode. The result was the beer summit. By and large, the only time things like this happen are when one side cries uncle.

Crowley agreed to the summit because when the White House calls, you generally honor the request but make no mistake, the entire episode was an attempt by the losers (Obama and Gates) to call a draw. The longer Crowley went without giving in, the uglier things got for Obama and Gates.

The same thing appears to be happening between the Tea Party and the NAACP. The problem is that the Tea Party is the group calling for the summit. Via Fox Philly:

A leader of the Tea Party called Sunday for a sequel to last summer's "beer summit," proposing a national "tea summit" to ease tensions over race in America.

In the latest face-off between the conservative political movement and the NAACP on CBS's "Face the Nation" program, TeaParty365 co-founder David Webb accused the head of the NAACP of practicing "selective racism" in calling on the Tea Party to denounce members that use racist language.

Again, remember, it was Obama who called the beer summit last year. He did so because he was in a no-win situation. The longer Crowley stood his ground, the more ground Obama lost.

It's very simple. Gates demanded an apology from Crowley. Crowley refused quite publicly. Rather than push it, Gates and Obama gave in. I'm afraid this effort on the part of the Tea Party is putting them in the wrong company.

Read the Full Report