OH SAVE US FROM THIS, PLEASE - AT 11:01 A.M. ET:  The saga of the arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates of Harvard continues.  Now we have big-time escalation, the ultimate weapon, the top of the "healing" heap - an invitation to the White House.  CNN has some details:

Obama also spoke briefly with the arrested professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is a friend of the president, the White House reported. He and Gates had a "positive discussion" about his call to Crowley on Friday afternoon, the White House said. Obama also invited Gates "to join him with Sgt. Crowley at the White House in the near future."

Oh, no, no.  Can you just see that White House session in the Oval Office, with the president of the United States presiding?  "Now how do you feel about this, Henry?  And you, Sergeant Stupid, I mean Crowley?  Do you both feel greater comfort with each other?  You do?  Okay, how about a big hug?"

Watch.  The next stop will be Oprah.  Another hug.  A book deal.

In an e-mail Friday to CNN's Don Lemon, Gates wrote, "I was very pleased that the president called me today, and I was pleased that he proposed that I meet with Sgt. Crowley at the White House, since I had offered to meet with him since last Monday.

"I am eager for this to be used as a teaching moment to improve racial relations in America," said the e-mail. "This is certainly not about me."

Oh really?  Then why did you say you wanted to keep the incident alive and do a documentary about it?

His attorney, Charles Ogletree, told Lemon that he applauds Obama's intervention and "I look forward to working this out with all parties amicably."

Asked if he plans to file suit, Ogletree said, "It depends on the response from everyone involved as to how we'll proceed."

Translated:  Please invite me to the White House, too.

I wonder if they'll allow wall-to-wall TV coverage of the visit.  How about a theme song?  Something, maybe, from "Law and Order."

Yuch.

July 25, 2009