John Roberts GOAT

If today's inauguration was a big sporting event—and it's not a crazy comparison—then what happened today during the oath of office has to be one of the biggest choke jobs of all time.

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.

Inauguration -- Live Blog -- Part II

11:07a.m. -- A shot of New York for some reason. Gots to love the media.

11:05a.m. -- It's go time... Chief Justice John Roberts and President Barack Obama recite the oath... and it couldn't go worse. Obama's stepping on Roberts, Roberts isn't pausing... it's amateur hour in D.C. for some reason. But he's sworn in. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ALREADY PRESIDENT.

11:04a.m. -- WE MISSED OBAMA BECOMING PRESIDENT BECAUSE WE HAD TO LISTEN TO SOME CLASSICAL SONG. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

11:03a.m. -- This is beyond lame. Obama is officially President since it's after noon eastern. Yet he hasn't been sworn in. Nice job U.S. Government. This song was totally worth it.

11:02a.m. -- Well it's about to happen folks... after this song by John Williams. REALLY? THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING? A SONG??? Who is putting on this inauguration, some sports exec at NBC? The production is out of hand... just swear in Barack already. I mean we're not in a recession or anything, it's not like we could use this money on something useful... no one in America cares about this.

10:58a.m. -- Joe Biden is sworn in as Vice President. The Bush/Biden Presidency has begun!

10:53a.m. -- A lot is being made of the White House and U.S. Capitol being built by slaves, and while the metaphor of Obama and the slaves is striking, but...

Obama's ancestors were not American slaves. He is not a decedent of American slaves. So it's sort of weird to point out every time that they show a picture of the Capitol that it was built by slaves. It's not factually incorrect, but it feels forced at the same time. I'm doing a poor job at articulating this, but the achievement gap between the decedents of former slaves and blacks of Caribbean or African parents who immigrated in, say the 20th century, is huge.

My point: We still have a long way to go. And it took time for those decedents of slaves to accept Barack as their own in this election cycle...

10:48a.m. -- We are praying to the Christian God who is a male... as a Roman Catholic I take issue with this on two levels:
1) God probably is genderless
2) I AM FROM THE ONE TRUE RELIGION
This prayer sort of sucks.

10:45a.m. -- The crowd is going crazy. Not Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series crazy, but crazy non-the-less. Let's get this inauguration rolling...

10:43a.m. -- The Mall is packed. The TV Heads won't shut up. The morons of the Democratic party are trotted out. This day is so over the top... it should be about the President but the little guys need their moment in the sun to fill their ego...

And here he comes... Wow

10:40a.m. -- And here comes Barack... He looks poised and at peace.

It might get a little dusty here in Hyde Park... where is Jim Nantz to say, "What a moment!"

10:36a.m. -- W is introduced as President of the United States for the last time. No one cries. Everyone lets out a deep breath. The question should be... can he mess this inauguration up too or is it too little too late?

10:34a.m. -- The other big news of the day? Kaka is not moving to Man City. I know I know. But this is huge. Man City was going to drop 91 million pounds ($127) on Kaka! Wow.

10:29a.m. -- Obama's daughters come on out... in a way they're the most interesting people today. Think about it... they're 10 and 8 (iirc) and they're dad is becoming the President of the United States. What's going on in their little minds? They know what's going on... but what is it like to be a little kid and your dad, who already is larger than life, actually becomes larger than life to pretty much every human on Earth? Has to be a weird thought/feeling.

Anyway, it's cool to have little kids in the White House. Nothing bad can come of that right?

Oh, and Brian Williams said that people around the Mall are pissed because of security... I told you so!

10:24a.m. -- Moving vans are moving the Bush's out of the house!!! It's happening folks!! The worst policy President of the last 80 years is leaving the White House!

10:21a.m. -- And here comes Bill Clinton!!! Everyone has a soft spot for Bill because... well... we still want him to be President deep down. Admit it, you liked the 90s, you loved the 90s, you NEED the 90s. And Bill Clinton is the 90s.

Bill was perfect, he's the first (and only) post-modern President, who was totally aware of what he was doing and what he wanted back in the 90s. I miss Bill even if I don't really care for his policies.

10:17a.m. -- As the old Presidents gather round and get ready to go out there, I post another song... by Dylan and sung by Mason Jennings.

The Times They Are A Changin' ...