Frank Rich on the beer summit and American racism. I would have linked without comment but the truth is Rich managed to sort out some details I had been confused about, possibly because the media whoring on this one long ago eclipsed the actual news content. Cambridge is the improbable spark that brought the base’s racism out of the closet. The notion of a white police officer apologizing to a black man drove many Americans around the bend, and it’s past time we openly discuss that.