John Roberts totally botched the short oath. What's the sports comparison to this? At first thought I've got to go with Bill Buckner in Game Six of the 1986 World Series. I mean this was a total choke job by Roberts.
1) He seemed to have cut off Obama as he was repeating his name. Though Obama may have jumped the gun, but Roberts did oddly pause... Obama started in and then Roberts suddenly is talking over him... I'm putting the blame on the Chief Justice. Roberts should have let Obama finish saying his name.
2) Roberts completely and totally misplaced the word faithfully, which then threw of Obama a bit, which then forced Roberts to repeat what he was saying... and well it sounded weird and uncomfortable and anything but Presidential or honorable.
I'm sure most people will over look this... but if this was sports? Roberts would be on the front page of every paper, he'd be ripped on the radio and every single columnist... sadly, the hacks will over look this, maybe a joke here or there. But come on, Roberts should be absolutely grilled by the media on this. It's not like repeating the oath of office is a long, complicated thing to do.
The result was that this was pretty unsmooth and played horribly on TV.
Here is how it went according to Reuters:
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.
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2 comments:
The bigger issue is Robert's adding "so help you God?" to the end. That's not in the constitution.
If Obama wants to add it he can, as have many others. But Roberts had no business adding it to the oath.
Wow, I didn't even catch that. Thanks for pointing that out, Joe. And I agree with you 100%. Roberts' choke job just got bigger... somehow.
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