Chief Justice Roberts Flubbs Presidential Oath> Biden Takes A Shot Back!

giovonni · 01-22-2009, 12:06 AM

Biden Takes Shot at Roberts for Flubbing Presidential Oath;

Vice President Biden likens his faltering memory to the U.S. Supreme Court's chief justice, who mistakenly flipped a word while giving the oath of office to President Obama a day earlier

Vice President Biden took a stab at Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday, one day after the chief justice flubbed the oath of office that President Obama was to recite at his inauguration.

Biden was to swear in senior executive staff at a White House ceremony after having already given the oath to newly confirmed Cabinet secretaries. When Obama reminded him that he had only done the one group and hadn't done the second yet, Biden quipped, "My memory is not as good as Chief Justice Roberts."

The slap was directed at the Supreme Court chief, who a day earlier had to recite to Obama the 35-word oath of office, which Obama was to repeat back to him. Unlike his predecessor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Roberts -- perhaps unwisely -- chose to forego a note card with the oath.

When he started to say the second portion of the quote "... that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States," he instead put faithfully at the end of the sentence. Obama, who apparently had memorized the oath, looked at Roberts, who then realized his mistake and repeated that portion of the oath correctly.

Obama then repeated the oath in the incorrect order. His presidency is unaffected, however. In the unlikely event he'd be challenged as president, the case ultimately would end up in Roberts' court.

original article;
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...idential-oath/

POSTNOTE:
Obama retakes oath of office after flub
President stumbled when Chief Justice John Roberts blundered

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts administered the presidential oath of office to Barack Obama for a second time Wednesday just to be on the safe side.

The unusual step came after Roberts flubbed the 35-word constitutionally prescribed oath a bit on Tuesday, causing Obama to repeat the wording differently than as prescribed in the Constitution.

The chief justice and the president handled the matter privately in the Map Room on Wednesday night. White House counsel Greg Craig said Obama retook the oath for the sake of caution.

"We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday. But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time," he said.

"We decided it was so much fun ..." Obama reportedly joked in the Map Room before Roberts donned his black robe. "Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked.

"I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama replied. The oath took 25 seconds.

After a flawless recitation, Roberts smiled and said, "Congratulations, again."

What the Constitution says
Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution is clear about how the oath should be recited and states:

"Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

"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 the Constitution of the United States."

Roberts' flub on Tuesday sent the new chief executive into a verbal detour of his own.

"Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?" Roberts asked Obama, who was holding the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used the day he became president in 1861.

The swearing in began simply enough as Roberts started reciting the oath Obama was to repeat, a few words at a time.

"I Barack Hussein Obama," began Roberts.

"I Barack," said Obama, and before he could continue, Roberts said, "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 execute the office of president of the United States..."

Obama: "The office of president of the United States faithfully..."

At that point, Roberts got back on course, leading as Obama followed with "and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"So help you God?" asked Roberts.

"So help me God."

Roberts' first inauguration
By tradition, the presidential oath is administered by the chief justice, and in Roberts' case, it was his first inauguration.

Later, as he and Obama chatted briefly before lunch in the Capitol, Roberts appeared to take responsibility for the error.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28780417/

Steve_A · 01-22-2009, 09:31 AM

Hi giovonni,

This news is important, especially for the history books! Barak Obama was sworn in to office on January 21st 2009 and not January 20th!

That should be remembered for great historians to comment on for centuries to come.

Also it shows that the millions spent on the inauguration ceremony aren't necesary to swear in a new president as it was done in private in a dingy office somewhere.

We can only assume that the money spent was done so in vain. But hey, we all love a party. Right?

Best regards,

Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by giovonni

[B][I][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]Biden Takes Shot at Roberts for Flubbing Presidential Oath;

Vice President Biden likens his faltering memory to the U.S. Supreme Court's chief justice, who mistakenly flipped a word while giving the oath of office to President Obama a day earlier

Vice President Biden took a stab at Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday, one day after the chief justice flubbed the oath of office that President Obama was to recite at his inauguration.

Biden was to swear in senior executive staff at a White House ceremony after having already given the oath to newly confirmed Cabinet secretaries. When Obama reminded him that he had only done the one group and hadn't done the second yet, Biden quipped, "My memory is not as good as Chief Justice Roberts."

The slap was directed at the Supreme Court chief, who a day earlier had to recite to Obama the 35-word oath of office, which Obama was to repeat back to him. Unlike his predecessor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Roberts -- perhaps unwisely -- chose to forego a note card with the oath.

Humble Janitor · 01-22-2009, 03:10 PM

Bush chose a chief justice that reminded him of himself. Hence the fact that Roberts couldn't remember **** in one of the most important parts of the Inauguration. I wonder if Roberts would sit still and read a book while the country went up in flames?

giovonni · 01-22-2009, 10:16 PM

Thanks Steve and Humble Janitor,
for your insights into this.
What is so ironic, is that Robert's >now will be remembered most for this mishap!

01-22-2009, 12:06 AM	#1
giovonni Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: within my heart Posts: 1,209	Chief Justice Roberts Flubbs Presidential Oath> Biden Takes A Shot Back! *Biden Takes Shot at Roberts for Flubbing Presidential Oath;* Vice President Biden likens his faltering memory to the U.S. Supreme Court's chief justice, who mistakenly flipped a word while giving the oath of office to President Obama a day earlier Vice President Biden took a stab at Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday, one day after the chief justice flubbed the oath of office that President Obama was to recite at his inauguration. Biden was to swear in senior executive staff at a White House ceremony after having already given the oath to newly confirmed Cabinet secretaries. When Obama reminded him that he had only done the one group and hadn't done the second yet, Biden quipped, "My memory is not as good as Chief Justice Roberts." The slap was directed at the Supreme Court chief, who a day earlier had to recite to Obama the 35-word oath of office, which Obama was to repeat back to him. Unlike his predecessor, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Roberts -- perhaps unwisely -- chose to forego a note card with the oath. When he started to say the second portion of the quote "... that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States," he instead put faithfully at the end of the sentence. Obama, who apparently had memorized the oath, looked at Roberts, who then realized his mistake and repeated that portion of the oath correctly. Obama then repeated the oath in the incorrect order. His presidency is unaffected, however. In the unlikely event he'd be challenged as president, the case ultimately would end up in Roberts' court. original article; http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...idential-oath/ POSTNOTE: Obama retakes oath of office after flub President stumbled when Chief Justice John Roberts blundered WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts administered the presidential oath of office to Barack Obama for a second time Wednesday just to be on the safe side. The unusual step came after Roberts flubbed the 35-word constitutionally prescribed oath a bit on Tuesday, causing Obama to repeat the wording differently than as prescribed in the Constitution. The chief justice and the president handled the matter privately in the Map Room on Wednesday night. White House counsel Greg Craig said Obama retook the oath for the sake of caution. "We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday. But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time," he said. "We decided it was so much fun ..." Obama reportedly joked in the Map Room before Roberts donned his black robe. "Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked. "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama replied. The oath took 25 seconds. After a flawless recitation, Roberts smiled and said, "Congratulations, again." What the Constitution says Article 2, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution is clear about how the oath should be recited and states: "Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: "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 the Constitution of the United States." Roberts' flub on Tuesday sent the new chief executive into a verbal detour of his own. "Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?" Roberts asked Obama, who was holding the Bible that Abraham Lincoln used the day he became president in 1861. The swearing in began simply enough as Roberts started reciting the oath Obama was to repeat, a few words at a time. "I Barack Hussein Obama," began Roberts. "I Barack," said Obama, and before he could continue, Roberts said, "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 execute the office of president of the United States..." Obama: "The office of president of the United States faithfully..." At that point, Roberts got back on course, leading as Obama followed with "and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." "So help you God?" asked Roberts. "So help me God." Roberts' first inauguration By tradition, the presidential oath is administered by the chief justice, and in Roberts' case, it was his first inauguration. Later, as he and Obama chatted briefly before lunch in the Capitol, Roberts appeared to take responsibility for the error. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28780417/ Last edited by giovonni; 01-22-2009 at 02:00 AM.

01-22-2009, 03:10 PM	#3
Humble Janitor Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3,201	Re: Chief Justice Roberts Flubbs Presidential Oath> Biden Takes A Shot Back! Bush chose a chief justice that reminded him of himself. Hence the fact that Roberts couldn't remember **** in one of the most important parts of the Inauguration. I wonder if Roberts would sit still and read a book while the country went up in flames?

01-22-2009, 10:16 PM	#4
giovonni Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: within my heart Posts: 1,209	Re: Chief Justice Roberts Flubbs Presidential Oath> Biden Takes A Shot Back! Thanks Steve and Humble Janitor, for your insights into this. What is so ironic, is that Robert's >now will be remembered most for this mishap!