Obama Oath Flub Wasn't Chief Justice John Roberts' Fault
Liza Porteus Viana
Contributor
Posted:
01/21/09
Don't take my word for it. President Obama said it himself. He also said Chief Justice John Roberts actually helped him through the 35-word oath of office.
From The Hill today:
"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."
But are people seriously complaining that the mixing up of some words means he's not really the president? My fellow blogger, David Knowles, says some (including FOX News) are. I'm surprised no conspiracy theorist has yet to put forth the idea that perhaps the Republican machine put Roberts up to screwing Obama up. Or have they? Or maybe it was Roberts' retribution for Obama being one of only 22 Democratic senators to vote against him during him confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. But that would just be adding fuel to this conspiracy fire.
It's not just FOX News that has insinuated such a thing as Obama not really being the president because of the stumbling. Jack Beermann, a constitutional law scholar at Boston University, told The San Francisco Chronicle that the slip-up might be enough to invalidate Obama's oath and he should take it again - just in case.
"It would take him 30 seconds, he can do it in private, it's not a big deal, and he ought to do it just to be safe," Beermann said. "It's an open question whether he's president until he takes the proper oath."
Charles Cooper, head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel under President Ronald Reagan, agreed, adding that he would be surprised if the oath hadn't already been re-administered. But others say to give it a rest. Jeffrey Rosen, a constitutional law expert and professor at George Washington University in Washington, told the Times U.K. that stumbling over the oath has "no impact."
"News flash: he's President," he said.
Ok, now can we move on?
From The Hill today:
"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."
But are people seriously complaining that the mixing up of some words means he's not really the president? My fellow blogger, David Knowles, says some (including FOX News) are. I'm surprised no conspiracy theorist has yet to put forth the idea that perhaps the Republican machine put Roberts up to screwing Obama up. Or have they? Or maybe it was Roberts' retribution for Obama being one of only 22 Democratic senators to vote against him during him confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. But that would just be adding fuel to this conspiracy fire.
It's not just FOX News that has insinuated such a thing as Obama not really being the president because of the stumbling. Jack Beermann, a constitutional law scholar at Boston University, told The San Francisco Chronicle that the slip-up might be enough to invalidate Obama's oath and he should take it again - just in case.
"It would take him 30 seconds, he can do it in private, it's not a big deal, and he ought to do it just to be safe," Beermann said. "It's an open question whether he's president until he takes the proper oath."
Charles Cooper, head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel under President Ronald Reagan, agreed, adding that he would be surprised if the oath hadn't already been re-administered. But others say to give it a rest. Jeffrey Rosen, a constitutional law expert and professor at George Washington University in Washington, told the Times U.K. that stumbling over the oath has "no impact."
"News flash: he's President," he said.
Ok, now can we move on?