Top 10 Apologies

"Because this has been ratcheting up and I helped contribute to ratcheting it up, I want to make clear that in my choice of words I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically, and I could have calibrated those words differently."

It's the comment that won't die. After Obama used the end of his prime-time health-care news conference to note that Cambridge, Mass., Police Sergeant Jim Crowley acted "stupidly" when he arrested Gates on disorderly-conduct charges in Gates' own home, the comment sparked a controversy that overshadowed Obama's health-care message. Seeking to relieve the pressure, Obama walked back his remarks during an impromptu appearance at a daily press briefing, but he stopped short of apologizing entirely. Though a White House meeting with Gates, the arresting officer and Obama is planned, some say the President needs to go further — Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter has vowed to introduce a House resolution calling on Obama to issue a formal and direct apology to Crowley.

See the top 10 Obama gaffes.

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