Well, at least no one dropped the Bible. (That happened at one of Franklin Roosevelt's inaugurations.) But the swearing-in of Barack Obama did not go entirely smoothly. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., apparently working without notes, started prompting Obama with the words, but Obama jumped in a shade too early -- which then knocked Roberts off stride. They started over, but then Roberts mixed up a few words. Obama started to respond, but he paused as if waiting for Roberts to say the words correctly -- or at least say them again. Then it got more or less back on track.
Here is the text of the oath as it is supposed to read:
"I (name) 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 the Constitution of the United States." (The words "so help me God" are added if the president wants them -- and Obama did.)
Here, from MSNBC, is exactly how it went:
ROBERTS: I, Barack Hussein Obama...
OBAMA: I, Barack...
ROBERTS: ... do solemnly swear...
OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear...
ROBERTS: ... that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully...
OBAMA: ... that I will execute...
ROBERTS: ... faithfully the office of president of the United States...
OBAMA: ... the office of president of the United States faithfully...
ROBERTS: ... and will to the best of my ability...
OBAMA: ... and will to the best of my ability...
ROBERTS: ... preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
OBAMA: ... preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
ROBERTS: So help you God?
OBAMA: So help me God.
ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President.
As an appellate advocate, Roberts was one of the smoothest impromptu speakers imaginable. He would prepare by writing questions he anticipated from the justices on index cards, and then would shuffle the cards so he would be ready for any unexpected sequence.
As chief justice (since 2005), Roberts has been known to flub his lines on occasion -- mispronouncing names of lawyers and cases once in awhile. On Dec. 2, during arguments in Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee, he pronounced the respondent town as if it were two words: "Barn Stay-bul." He later corrected himself, calling it "BARN-sta-bul," as it should have been.
More on the oath flub and do-over on the Web of Language: Strict constructionist Chief Justice flubs oath, Obama presidency survives unscathed:
http://illinois.edu/blog/view?blogId=25&topicId=2446&count=1&ACTION=VIEW_TOPIC_DIALOGS&skinId=286
Posted by: Dennis Baron | January 22, 2009 at 07:16 PM
like dennis above, my first thought was "well, what do you expect from a george bush appointee."
competence was never a hallmark of the bush maladministration.
Posted by: karen marie | January 21, 2009 at 01:08 PM
That's strict constructionism for you.
Posted by: Dennis Baron | January 20, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Roberts flubbing his words???? Just remember who appointed him and you'll have the reason.
Posted by: Big John | January 20, 2009 at 09:51 PM
It's amusing that, with the Chief Justice that was the most highly touted as a legal practitioner before the Supreme Court and a president elect who had been a professor of constitutional law, the administration of the oath of office in its prescribed form was such a mess.
Given all the nonsense about the Hawaii birth certificate, how long will it be before some wackaloon files suit arguing that the move from president-elect to actual president was fatally flawed?
Does Chief Justice Roberts have to recuse himself from the case so that it will be dismissed by only 8 to 0 at the SCOTUS level?
This was comic relief in an otherwise smooth ceremony, apart from the poetry that left me asking for Maya Angelou's return. If foolish lawsuits get filed, the dividends will just keep coming. Washington is paying off better than Wall Street right now.
Posted by: brian smith | January 20, 2009 at 05:26 PM