Obama Says Chief Justice John Roberts Not to Blame for Flubbed Oath of Office
Posted by: Flap in Barack Obama, John RobertsPresident Barack Obama says it is not Chief Justice John Robert’s fault.
President Obama isn’t blaming Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for slipping up as he recited the president oath of office during Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony.
Obama said Roberts actually helped him as he gave the oath, and that he was grateful.
“We’re up there, we’ve got a lot of stuff on our mind, and he actually helped me out on a couple of stanzas there,” Obama told ABC News backstage at the “Neighborhood Ball.”
“So overall, I think it went relatively smoothly and I’m very grateful to him.”
Various media and blogs have blamed either Roberts or Obama for the flub. Transcripts suggest that Obama broke in earlier than Roberts expected in repeating the oath, and that this may have thrown the chief justice off. He then put the word “faithfully” at the end of the phrase “I will execute the office of the United States” instead of at the front of that phrase.
Yeah, it makes no difference unless you are saying the oath should be administered again and Obama is NOT President.
Good grief…..
Next time, the Chief Justice and President-Elect should have a cheat sheet.
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January 21st, 2009 at 10:39 am
Good grief, indeed! It is this fixation on minutae that will be the ruin of our society. Put these guys in the same camp as the Birthers, Truthers, hey, the Oathers!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:21 am
Network news cameras covering Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony Tuesday captured Hillary Clinton silently moving her lips along with each word of the minute-long presidential oath of office. As she stood watching several yards from Chief Justice John Roberts, the former Democratic presidential candidate could be observed placing her left hand on a leather appointment book and raising her right hand slightly from her hip. Clinton, who carefully followed the swearing-in procedure with her eyes shut tightly, only varied from the president’s words once, when she soundlessly mouthed her name instead of Barack Obama’s.
January 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Video: Obama Flubs Oath of Office [Update 2: Obama does not blame Roberts]…
Link @YouTube
Update:
Transcript courtesy of The Volokh Conspiricy
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend…
January 21st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
read the full text.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Well, well, because I listen to NPR I am aware that
*according the constitution the president is president at 12 noon on Tuesday the 20th. period.
*past presidents have not recited the oath but merely replied “I do”.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Hey there casas rurales, I’m a fan of the Onion too.
WHat Obama failed to do at the conclusion of the reading of the oath is turn to the camera and say
“F**k it!, close enuff.”
Boo Yah!