# Obama not really the President because he didn't really take the Oath **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 20, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167 "2009-01-20T18:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/1 "2009-01-20T18:26:33Z")
I counted at least two failures in Obama’s recitation of the oath, each of which independently would render Obama’s words not an “oath of office” as defined in the Constitution. Obama is therefore not the president unless and until he takes an actual oath. Just kidding (of course)–and I hope the just kidding and the of course were unecessary. But you just know some numbskull is typing this exact thing on some message board somewhere but he means it and will get tons of support from the other members. In this thread I pit that guy (for all the wankers about to ask “who are we pitting here”). I thought the flub and chucke and little smile as he took the podium were kinda nice. It’s good to have a president that can seem like a regular guy without seeming like a regular dumbass redneck guy. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/2 "2009-01-20T18:35:12Z")
[Free Republic](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2168190/posts) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/3 "2009-01-20T18:37:33Z")
Let’s hang the Chief Justice for muffing his job. ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/4 "2009-01-20T18:43:56Z")
Was the Chief Justice trying to do a little power play or something? Why did he talk over him after he said “I, Barack Hussein Obama” he should have just paused after that but instead he had to try to stuff the next part of the phrase in there and it was very weird. Don’t they rehearse this ahead of time or anything? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/5 "2009-01-20T18:45:59Z")
I’d have to imagine being sworn in as the leader of the free world makes one a bit nervous. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/6 "2009-01-20T18:49:43Z")
Allright Pod Person, where is **RandRover** and what have you done with him? ---
**Author:** ![beanpod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9adbd/32.png) [@beanpod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beanpod)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/7 "2009-01-20T18:54:40Z")
Sweet. I bet my husband $100 that would go up on Free Republic. I win! The best part is that someone on _Free Republic_ is even admitting: “Come on, let this one go. It makes us look like idiots.” _snerk_ ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/8 "2009-01-20T18:59:50Z")
I thought the Chief Justice was the one fluffed it, placing the “faithfully” at the beginning, and Obama was chuckling at having to correct him? I might well be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/9 "2009-01-20T19:02:06Z")
> [@samm](#): > > Was the Chief Justice trying to do a little power play or something? Why did he talk over him after he said “I, Barack Hussein Obama” he should have just paused after that but instead he had to try to stuff the next part of the phrase in there and it was very weird. Don’t they rehearse this ahead of time or anything? I guess not! Obama expected a pause after the name, Roberts wasn’t planning one, so they talked over each other. Wikipedia also says Roberts decided to speak without notes, which explains his other error. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/10 "2009-01-20T19:09:13Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > [Free Republic](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2168190/posts) Shouldn’t have looked, but I did. What the hell is wrong with those people? ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/11 "2009-01-20T19:14:50Z")
I believe that Obama became president at noon, before he took the oath of office at around 12:05. (The twentieth Amendment says ‘The terms of the President and the Vice-President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January,’ implying that the next term started then as well.) My impression is that the oath is a formality more than a legality; if Obama had taken the oath of office ten minutes earlier, Bush would still have been the president until noon. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/12 "2009-01-20T19:19:06Z")
> [@beanpod](#): > > Sweet. I bet my husband $100 that would go up on Free Republic. I win! > > The best part is that someone on _Free Republic_ is even admitting: “Come on, let this one go. It makes us look like idiots.” > > _snerk_ No…no. The fact that they _are_ idiots is what makes them look like idiots. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/13 "2009-01-20T19:37:46Z")
> [@beanpod](#): > > …The best part is that someone on _Free Republic_ is even admitting: “Come on, let this one go. It makes us look like idiots.” > > _snerk_ Too late. ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/14 "2009-01-20T19:39:49Z")
The takeaway lesson is that we have a President who knows the Constitution. The oath is only the first of many zany mishaps sure to ensue. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/15 "2009-01-20T19:54:37Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > I thought the Chief Justice was the one fluffed it, placing the “faithfully” at the beginning, and Obama was chuckling at having to correct him? I might well be wrong. Yes, Obama was chuckling because this dude had one thing to do all day, and he fucked up. Then it took Obama a second to decide whether to repeat Roberts’ mistake or say it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/16 "2009-01-20T20:00:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Yes, Obama was chuckling because this dude had one thing to do all day, and he fucked up. Really? Sounds like Obama’s a bit of a dick then. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/17 "2009-01-20T20:07:57Z")
As impressed as I was with his concise but effective speech( no trying to grandstand previous speeches ), I think with 6 more words after the “God Bless America” he could have left an even more lasting impression. Obama points to the left, and says “Can we fix it?” Obama points to the right and says “YES WE CAN!” a couple more finger points, crowd joins in, you get the idea. Also, I got the impression the crowd was more relieved, than joyous and celebratory. Why didn’t the crowd join in for the Star Spangled Banner? Even some of our most pig-ignorant football fans will join in when “God Save The Queen” is played. Favourite part of the speech. “We will extend our hand in friendship, if you will unclench your fist.” p.s. One odd thing; did anyone see the CNN broadcasting of Bush getting into the helicopter? In the background of the shot, there was a large cloud of smoke blowing between the buildings in the background. Anyone know what that was about? ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/18 "2009-01-20T20:09:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Yes, Obama was chuckling because this dude had one thing to do all day, and he fucked up. And all Obama had to do was deliver a halfway decent speech and, wow, did he ever fuck _that_ up. ---
**Author:** ![beanpod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9adbd/32.png) [@beanpod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beanpod)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/19 "2009-01-20T20:11:46Z")
@ **jayjay** and **garygnu** : preeeeee-cisely. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/20 "2009-01-20T20:13:42Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > p.s. One odd thing; did anyone see the CNN broadcasting of Bush getting into the helicopter? In the background of the shot, there was a large cloud of smoke blowing between the buildings in the background. Anyone know what that was about? NBC has been mentioning this all morning; apparently it’s a steam vent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167.md?page=2)