Everyone is probably talking about the gaffe made yesterday morning regarding the Presidential Oath of Office. It seems Chief Justice John Roberts decided to try it without any text and made a mess of it while President Barack Obama tripped all over Roberts’ lines.
This is how the oath 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.
And this is how it was done yesterday:
CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS: Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I am.
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: … The off … faithfully the pres … 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 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.
Oh well, all’s well that ends well.
KENNEDY COLLAPSES & BYRD LEAVES LUNCHEON
While at the inaugural lunch in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall yesterday, Sen. Ted Kennedy suffered a seizure and collapsed.
Paramedics arrived at the scene around 2:35 ET, and according to reports, Kennedy was still experiencing seizures when he was put in a wheelchair and taken out through the Rayburn room, located to the side of Statuary Hall.
Sen. Chris Dodd, a long-time friend of Kennedy, walked out with him as he was taken to an ambulance. Dodd said that Kennedy told him, “I’ll be okay. I’ll see you later.”
Dr. Edward Aulisi, chairman of Neurosurgery at Washington Hospital Center issued the following statement:
“After testing, we believe the incident was brought on by simple fatigue. Sen. Kennedy is awake, talking with family and friends, and feeling well. He will remain at the Washington Hospital Center overnight for observation, and will be released in the morning.”
In May, Kennedy suffered a seizure while walking his dogs at his home. Three days later, his doctors showed a tumor in the left parietal lobe, which was responsible for the seizure.
Following Kennedy’s collapse, Sen. Robert Byrd, 91, and in failing health, reportedly was “emotional” at the time of the collapse and decided to leave the luncheon. Byrd spokesman Mark Ferrell said, “Sen. Byrd made the decision to leave the luncheon once Sen. Kennedy was being taken from the room by medical personnel. Sen. Byrd is currently in his own office in the Senate Hart Building and is doing fine, though remains very concerned about his close friend Ted Kennedy.”
Glad to hear both men are doing fine.
OPRAH TO BE SOUTH AFRICAN AMBASSADOR?
Oprah Winfrey has said that a job in the Obama administration “never even occurred to her”, but is there an offer on the table?
The Mail & Guardian, a South African newspaper, is reporting that Oprah may be appointed Ambassador to South Africa.
Oprah, however, has a contract to continue her popular talk show until 2011. She said, “I have a contract until 2011, so right now that’s what I have until someone writes me another one. I’m going to fulfill my contractual obligations and fulfill them happily.”
I was watching it and I was thinking.. man I feel sorry for the guy.. he probably had his nerves get the better of him.
I bet Bush paid him to mess it up..
Pres. Obama didn’t trip up, he was giving the Chf Justice a chance to correct himself. You an see at the Congressional Luncheon how the Chf Just said “…my fault” and they chuckled over it.
i was there and i barely noticed the “gaffe”….mostly due to the delayed audio on the jumbotrons.
gaff or no gaff it was an amazing moment!!
i really admire sen kennedy… hope he’ll be alright. ♥
——-@J Dakar
——-My man, Obama did not trip over his lines. What you saw was Obama realizing
——-that Chief Justice Roberts made the mistake and Obama would not repeat it.
——You saw when Obama began to say it then he stopped and looked
——dead in Roberts’ eyes, like “get it together.” Then Roberts made the correction.
——Obama handled it well, if you asked me….lol
——-@J Dakar
——Furthermore, the true political mistake left for Texas yesterday.
Oh well @ gaffe…. yeah there was a delay on the jumbotron.
Wow @ Ted Kennedy… over exerted himself in all the excitement.
hmmm @ Oprah… that’s interesting. Well it would be a position that would not be abused by her as so many diplomats tend to do, she truly cares that’s for certain.
“Tripped” probably wasn’t the best word to use. I’m not saying Obama tripped over his own lines, I’m referring to the the mess Roberts made and his expectation of Obama to repeat it. Obama knew that wasn’t right, so he stood there like, “Let me give him a chance to fix this.”
And let the Oprah stalking of Obama begin!
Am I the only one who thinks it’s a little weird and inappropriate for her to be damn near obsessed with a married man? Admire him and support him, that’s cool, but during the election she turned into a sycophant. Not a good look at all in my opinion.
Now she wants a position in the administration so she can have an excuse to pop up in D. C. on the regular. While Barack is in the shower and Michelle is out of town. LOL.
When I was watching Obama take his Oath and that mishap happened, I for a split second thought Obama had messed up on that part but had to quickly remember it was not read to him correctly, therefore Obama stopped dead in his tracks for Roberts to correct himself.
Even with all the emotion and I’m sure nervousness, Obama is still ALWAYS on point and on top of his game. I could tell he was nervous and rightfully so. This was a VERY important moment but he handled himself with dignity and held his head high as though he KNOWS he’s where he’s supposed to be and I couldn’t agree more.
It was to cute after Obama was finished with his Inaguration speech, he walked over to his girls to give them a kiss and Sasha gave him a thumbs up as though she was approving what her father had just done. Beautiful family!!
Oprah is way too old for Obama, i highly doubt michelle have anything to worry about… I think she’s just happy to have ablack person in the white house, she overly excited.. i don’t think she wants Obama in that way..
LOL @ #10 – MIchelle don’t play, and Oprah’s not crazy.
if you guys read the news. Barack Obama knew the oath by heart, he was trying to help the guy that was swearing him in. But the fact that the guy was messing up it made it look like both of them was messing up!
Slip up aside, the day was beautiful! I was on Pennsylavania Avenue for his speech and later saw him on the parade route. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing him and Sasha wave at my wife and I and feeling the energy of the crowd who waited in the cold to see the 44th President of the United States. God bless Barack Obama and family and God bless America!
Ok you know what…..people make mistakes. Jeeze! Get over it, Mr. Obama is now Mr. President! Let’s just be happy and move on to more important issues.
@#9 Exactly! Obama knew it wasn’t correct and he stopped and looked at the guy and wasn’t going to say it until it was said to him correctly. Loves it!!!!! When he said congratualtions Mr. President, I just cried & cried. It gave me chills (the good kind).
Yeah, the news said he messed upthe oath and Obama was trying to get him back on track. He later came and apologized to Obama while at the lunch.
CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYERS ALL OVER THE US ARE SUGGESTING THAT OBAMA TAKE THE OATH AGAIN, JUST TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL.
RIGHT NOW, MANY CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYERS SAY THAT OBAMA IS NOT LEGALLY PRESIDENT UNTIL HE TAKES THAT OATH CORRECTLY, EXACTLY THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN.
I PRAY TO GOD THAT OBAMA HAS ALREADY BEEN ADMINISTERED THE OATH A SECOND TIME ALREADY, BECAUSE THAT JUDGE ROBERTS (IS A REPUBLICAN), A VERY SNEAKY, BASTARD, WHO KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING WHEN HE MESSING UP THE OATH THE WAY HE DID!
PLEASE PEOLPE, CONTACT THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL WEBSITE, AND TELL OBAMA TO RETAKE THE OATH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HATERS HAVE NOTHING TO SAY!
According to his interview with Robin Roberts during the ball he said they had a lot going on and he also said Roberts help him with a couple of stanzas…but it happens…I saw this on GMA…they even showed Roberts and Obama @ the lucheon addressing each other about it…it funny how ppl like to make a big deal about things when all in all some of us, including me didn’t know he was saying some of the oath incorrectly…I just thought he was nervous or stumble over his words, but didn’t actually know that he repeated some of the oath incorrectly or even made a mistake …Barack seems to be a humble person with great charcter…let us all learn to be humble…
Obama and Roberts tried to be civilized to each other in front of a worldwide audience,but the two don`t get along.When Obama was a senator he strongly opposed Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court.Roberts made that mistake on purpose to try and confuse and get back at Obama for opposing him.Now you know why Obama opposed Roberts because like alot of Bush`s appointees he wasn`t qualified.Here is guy,that is not just on the Supreme Court,but the Chief Justice,and he unprofessionally and immmaturely let his personal feelings get between him and inaugurating Obama.
ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS THIS — OBAMA IS A SMART CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER, HE WAS THE EDITOR OF THE LAW REVIEW, AND WAS A CONSTITUTIONAL PROFESSOR, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO — ADD TO THAT, THAT OBAMA HAS THE BEST LAWYERS WORKING FOR HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE. OBAMA KNOWS THE DEAL, HE HAS PROBABLY TAKEN THE OATH AGAIN, AND CORRECTLY!
SECONDLY – WHO WON THE ELECTION — OBAMA
– WHO IS LIVING IN THE WHITE HOUSE — OBAMA
– WHO IS RIGHT NOW WORKING IN THE OVAL OFFICE — OBAMA
OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.A , HE BECAME PRESIDENT ON JANUARY 20, 2009 at 12:00 NOON — SO GET USE TO IT PEOPLE!
IT’S PRESIDENT OBAMA — AND NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE IT!!!
I think people are making a really big deal over nothing. Thank you J. Dakar for mentioning that the chief justice said it incorrectly. There were many other sites and news media trying to say Obama didn’t know it and he should be ashamed when the Chief justice should’ve known it word for word himself. I’m sure he has already done the oath again silently because this has happened a few times before where the president can do it over silently. It’s like these lawyers want him to publicly do it again. He became president at the stroke of noon.
My prayers go out to Ted.
I think Oprah should be an ambassador there because she has done a lot of work there and is very much in to what she does there besides donations, plus the people love her.
@19…long time ago,( I can’t remember the date) they use to have the inauguration in the month of March. They since changed it in the constitution to make the inauguration in January instead. It also says that the President-elect becomes president at 12:00pm. There have been times, depending on where you live in the world, that the oath was taken after 12pm. Regardless if he took the oath before 12 or after 12, or even at all…based on the constitution, Obama would still be our President, and the fact that there was a slip up is just a formality.
AND SO THE KENNEDY CURSE CONTINUES….i swear that family stay in misery. Everytime you hear the name kennedy something always goes.
And as for Oprah…let’s just hope she ain’t that crazy to be messin wit Barack…..Michelle look like she don’t play….have u seen her eyebrows? lol
And i bet they messed that ish up onn purpose just so they can TRY to make barack look bad but barack turned the tables on the…He don’t play neither!
Agree with number 6
Obama is a planner.
He knows that oath front and back.
He’s just that type of person.
But Roberts didn’t and I assume didn’t practice well
enough to go without a paper but he did and
messed up (something O can’t control).
So he paused and gave him time to correct himself.
Roberts did BUT Obama went on stating the
oath the way Roberts said before (not throwing
him under the bus) Y’all keep missing that part.
Obama didn’t say it correctly either but he did that
so he wouldn’t throw the guy under the bus.
It’s all history and great history at that.
Besides Jan 21, 7:35pm Obama
and Roberts had restated the oath in
the white house. Just in case some crazy
prejudice petty person would bring
up an argument that Obama is legally not
the president since he didn’t say the oath
right.
When I seen the mess up I took it lightly.
I actually thought it was CUTE. Michelle
started smiling, I knew it was nerves so I
took it lightly.
He probably did mess up on purpose.
Oh well Obama retook it and all is well.
I can digg Oprah being ambassador, she spends enough time and money over there anyways.
My heart goes out to the Kennedy family, something tragic always happens.
Obama is our most handsome president then Kennedy next.lol
Just though I’d point that out.
yeah i definitely think justice roberts tried to catch Obama slippin but he just too cool for that shit…he looked at roberts like “hold on cuz, tighten up, that ain’t how you posed’ ta say it”…obama jumped the gun at first but other than that, he was on point…Hail to the Chief!!!
We need our president to issue an EXECUTIVE ORDER immediately to address affirmative action GONE WRONG!
As unlikely as it may sound, millions of immigrants and foreign visitors are eligible for — and many are actually using — affirmative-action benefits to get a head-start on U.S.-born minorities, not to mention white Americans. In effect, they are getting off the plane and moving right to the head of the line.
How is this possible? In the late 1960s, it simply never occurred to government planners that there would be so many aliens in the U.S. or that so many would be considered minorities.
The results can be startling. Take, for example, a company that has a goal to hire ten blacks. Nothing says these have to be African Americans, and they well may not be. All ten may be people who until now spent their entire lives in another country.
Whatever the long-term fate of affirmative action, Congress and the Administration should act now to put a stop to this bizarre extension of the program. A mere paragraph or two of legislation and a short executive order could end affirmative action for immigrants — the entitlement nobody planned and hardly anyone wants.
The chief justice is supposed to pause so the president can say his full name — he paused, but than interrupted him. And than he said the next line with putting ‘faithfully’ at the end. But I think they were both nervous too.