Suds Summit: Obama, Biden, Gates and Crowley Have a 'Friendly Conversation' Over Beer

We now have first word of the suds summit from a White House pool report. Two headlines: Vice President Joe Biden was at the table. And the two principals from Cambridge, Mass. toured the White House together before the cocktail hour.

According to the pool report from USA TODAY's Mimi Hall, President Obama asked Biden to join the group this afternoon. The four men sat at a round, white table in the Rose Garden, Crowley and Gates next to each other. They drank beer from clear glass mugs and ate peanuts and pretzels from small silver bowls.

The beer menu: Bud Light for Obama, non-alcoholic Buckler for Biden, Sam Adams Light for Gates and Blue Moon for Crowley. The outfits: dark suits for Gates and Crowley, white shirts and no jackets for Obama and Biden.

"In the 30 seconds your pool was out there, Sgt. Crowley was doing most of the talking. Gates appeared to be leaning in, listening intently. At one point, POTUS (president of the United States) laughed heartily," Hall wrote.

Gates, Crowley and their families toured the East Wing together before the beerfest. Gates brought his kids, fiance and father. Crowley brought his wife and kids, Hall reports. The men met with Obama in the Oval Office before moving outside. Their relatives toured the West Wing while they drank their beers.

And that "teachable moment" Obama envisioned for the nation? So far all we know is the Gates and Crowley families probably learned something about the history of the White House.

Update #1: Here's Obama's post-beer statement: "I am thankful to Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley for joining me at the White House this evening for a friendly, thoughtful conversation. Even before we sat down for the beer, I learned that the two gentlemen spent some time together listening to one another, which is a testament to them. I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode."

Update #2: Gates, editor in chief of The Root blog, has put up a statement there. Sample excerpt: "I thank God that live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I've come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf. I'm also grateful that we live in a country where freedom of speech is a sacrosanct value and I hope that one day we can get to know each other better, as we began to do at the White House this afternoon over beers with President Obama." Crowley, for his part, said that "We agreed to move forward. I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future."