Gov. makes headlines after saying he's 'sick of unarmed black men being shot by police'

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Governor Deval Patrick is back in the national spotlight, but not because of the dinner he and his wife have planned with President Barack Obama and the First Lady.

Patrick may be dining with the president Thursday night on Martha's Vineyard, but his recent media attention is based on the comments he made about the situation in Ferguson, MO Wednesday.

When our Political Reporter Sharman Sacchetti asked him to share his thoughts on the violence in the St. Louis suburb, Patrick sighed heavily, and came out with a pretty powerful statement.

"I'm sick of it. I'm sick of, I'm sick of unarmed black men being shot by police. I'm sick of the lawlessness on the streets. I think everybody's tired. When are we gonna get through with this kind of thing?" Patrick asked.

His response made national headlines, and has some speculating on his political future.

"I take from that that generally speaking he's really looking to increase his image on the national level," Dr. Bob Rosenthal of Suffolk University said.

He went on to say, "There's a lot of different ways you could respond to that, I think doing a forceful response was probably somewhat calculated in order to get more national media."

Patrick's term ends in January and he isn't running for reelection. What he'll do next is unclear. He's said he's not running for president in 2016, but hasn't ruled out a future bid.

"He's looking around for his next gig. Let's face it he has been mentioned by some as an alternative to Hillary Clinton. And clearly Elizabeth Warren has also been mentioned in the same breath from the progressive wing of the party. So I'm sure, maybe he's putting a toe in the waters," Rosenthal said.

When Sacchetti asked the governor if he would have handled the situation in Ferguson differently, he said he was glad he doesn't have to.

Cox Media Group