# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/41 "2009-01-20T22:39:05Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Please elaborate. In the **-99** household, that was a fantastic speech. Uh, whoosh? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/42 "2009-01-20T22:42:08Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Uh, whoosh? I’m not certain **Stephe96** is intellectually capable of generating a whoosh, unless his/her consistent anti-liberal shtick has been a joke all along. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/43 "2009-01-20T22:43:39Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > [Fox News](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/fox-news-chris.html). Chris Wallace talks like a fag and his shit’s all retarded. ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/44 "2009-01-20T22:44:11Z")
That freeper thing is a parody site right? I accidentally read it and my brain hurts from all the stupid. “covering up for his ineligibility?” “it wasn’t his fault, a real affirmative-action president!” PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN’T REAL! ---
**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, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/45 "2009-01-20T22:44:54Z")
> [@hawksgirl](#): > > That freeper thing is a parody site right? I accidentally read it and my brain hurts from all the stupid. “covering up for his ineligibility?” “it wasn’t his fault, a real affirmative-action president!” PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN’T REAL! Oh, I wish I could… ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/46 "2009-01-20T22:45:29Z")
I’ve never been a fan of political speeches, but I have to say he certainly nailed that one. It will take some getting used to having a Commander in Chief who has more than a nodding acquaintance with the Oxford English Dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/47 "2009-01-20T22:46:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > 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. Nah, there was no decision to be made, Obama knew what to do in such a situation, which is pause at the appropriate moment to allow the speaker to correct themselves. ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/48 "2009-01-20T22:46:16Z")
[Some people might agree with you.](http://www.conservapedia.com/Talk:Barack_Obama) Of course, that site is legendary for parodists, so maybe that guy is just kidding. But, on the other hand some of them are serious. It’s pretty hard to tell them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/49 "2009-01-20T22:54:02Z")
> [@hawksgirl](#): > > That freeper thing is a parody site right? I accidentally read it and my brain hurts from all the stupid. “covering up for his ineligibility?” “it wasn’t his fault, a real affirmative-action president!” PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IT ISN’T REAL! You know who I really feel sorry for? Somewhere, in one or more of the intelligence agencies, there’s a group of people whose job it is to actually read that drivil to keep track of the nutjobs. Does that come with hazardous duty pay? Or is it the Artic Circle punishment detail? Obviously the group tasked with SDMB monitoring is in the Bahamas office. Hi guys! Keep up the great work! ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/50 "2009-01-20T22:55:14Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > [Fox News](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/01/fox-news-chris.html). I wish I could convince myself that he’s joking. People like him are why we can’t have nice things. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/51 "2009-01-20T23:01:29Z")
I can’t believe how many sensible posts there are in that FR thread. I liked the speech. It wasn’t his best, but it was good- and that “unclench your fist” part was _very_ poetic. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/52 "2009-01-20T23:08:00Z")
BTW, they could just redo the oath practically anywhere at any time if there was even the slightest bit of concern that it wasn’t legit. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/53 "2009-01-20T23:11:28Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > BTW, they could just redo the oath practically anywhere at any time if there was even the slightest bit of concern that it wasn’t legit. …and immediately afterward we’d hear someone on Fox News suggest that Obama was no longer eligible for a second term, since he’d already been sworn in twice. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/54 "2009-01-20T23:11:59Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > WTH is Free Republic? The handicapped cousins of Democratic Underground. ---
**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, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/55 "2009-01-20T23:14:21Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Please elaborate. In the **-99** household, that was a fantastic speech. I listened to it on the radio and heard a rambling, disjointed speech with no apparent theme. From what I could hear, the audience was growing increasingly confused as “applause line” after “applause line” fell flat with a wince-inducing _clank_. I heard absolutely no specifics, and certainly no memorable lines. The media made a big deal that this speech was written by a 27-year-old named Jon Favreau, and I believe it. He seems to think that vague references to Valley Forge along with a smattering of meaningless platitudes makes for an historic, epic speech. Alas, it was not to be. Swung on and missed. If it worked for you, fine. But after the hype and buildup over the past few months, I expected something more…a _lot_ more. And, by the way: did _anyone_ on Obama’s staff read those idiotic poems beforehand? I don’t think even the most slack-jawed, drooling liberal moonbat could be bothered to defend _those_! They were absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. And I hesitate to say it, but I thought Rick Warren was the best speaker up there today, despite the fact that he, like Obama himself, opposes gay marriage. ---
**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, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/56 "2009-01-20T23:15:24Z")
> [@RedFury](#): > > The handicapped cousins of Democratic Underground. You win the thread. I lasted about a month at DU before the general level of over-the-top leftie stupid (as opposed to the Freeper level of over-the-top rightie stupid) made my head hurt too much to bear. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/57 "2009-01-20T23:16:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > …and immediately afterward we’d hear someone on Fox News suggest that Obama was no longer eligible for a second term, since he’d already been sworn in twice. :smack: A number of Presidents have been privately sworn in on Sunday, with the public ceremony on Monday. At least according to the always reliable [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_inauguration#Sunday_exceptions). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/58 "2009-01-20T23:18:08Z")
You thought Warren’s invocation was _good_? Dear Christ. I thought it was absolutely awful- though no more awful than the benediction or the invocation for the “inaugural luncheon”. ---
**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, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/59 "2009-01-20T23:19:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You thought Warren’s invocation was _good_? Dear Christ. > > I thought it was absolutely awful- though no more awful than the benediction or the invocation for the “inaugural luncheon”. I didn’t say it was “good,” but at least it seemed heartfelt and had a coherent theme. ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167/60 "2009-01-20T23:19:54Z")
> [@UncleNito](#): > > 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. Not only that, but a President who apparently knows the Constitution better than the Chief Justice of the United States does. Roberts has, no doubt, crawled into a very small, very quiet, very dark hole. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-not-really-the-president-because-he-didnt-really-take-the-oath/482167.md?page=4)