Rangel's Remark About Obama In Harlem Draws Attention

To no one's surprise, Rep. Charles Rangel's "advice" to President Obama (a Daily News reporter asked what Obama should do during his NYC visit)—"Make certain he doesn't run around in East Harlem unidentified," a reference to the fatal shooting of police officer Omar Edwards by another cop—made some waves. Mayor Bloomberg said today, "I have a lot of respect for Charlie Rangel, but in this case, he’s just plain wrong...This was a tragedy. Our Police Department is diverse and they train; sometimes things happen and they’re inexplicable. There’s no reason to suspect this had any racial overtones." And the Post, no fan of Rangel, called it a "sick joke" and got a quote from an unnamed police union official: "If Congressman Rangel said ... 'and waving a gun' he might be correct" (Edwards, who was off-duty, had his gun drawn when he was shot; he was pursing a man suspected of breaking into his car).