Obama and Professor Gates

I saw the news headlines (e.g. BBC) about a Harvard professor being arrested and President Obama making some comments about it, but I didn't read the actual articles until later when V mentioned the arrest of a black professor at his own home and the media attention it was getting. I put two and two together and wondered if it could have been professor Gates. Sure enough, it was!!! His picture was right on the news site photos being led out of his house by the cops. I have met Prof. Gates before (and at one point he knew me by name, but I doubt he remembers who I am now) and have nothing bad to say about him. I don't agree with him 100% politically, but I think he is an intelligent and thoughtful person that has done great things. I'm not saying that neither he nor the cop might have overreacted, but I can appreciate what it is like coming back from a long trip and having to break into my own house (yes, this has happened to me before) and, from what I can gather from the media, it seems wrong to me that he was arrested after showing that he was the owner of the house and because he was disturbing the peace ... in his own home?