I didn’t remember that he missed anything, and I jsut reviewed the video and he didn’t miss anything. The one phrase got garbled because apparently Roberts didn’t know where the word “faithfully” belonged. He put it at the end of the phrase, then when Obama started to repeat the phrase he appeared to realize that he was about to repeat it correctly but Roberts said it wrong. With a nod, he appeared to prompt Roberts to say it again, this time putting the word in the right place but Obama then repeated it at the end, as Roberts had done the first time. What a mess.
You are correct. What I don’t understand is why Obama felt that the oath had to be stated to him correctly before he could say it correctly. If he was so concerned about saying it wrong, he should have just said it right and ignored Roberts’ version. Few would have noticed and the Constitution would have been fulfilled.
These “recite after me” rituals are fraught with potential for screw-ups. At my wedding last year I left a gap of about six years (or so it seemed to me) before I said “I do”, because the registrar had one of those annoying tones where it sounds like she’s going to carry on talking but actually -
I’m sure they’re already arguing that Obama isn’t really president. Of course, if they take it to court, if it makes it to the Supreme Court, Roberts will be one of those deciding it (though I suppose he might be asked to recuse himself).
This is speculative, but he’d rehearsed the oath a certain way (correctly, and with a pause after his own name) and was thrown off his stride when Roberts said it differently. That would best explain why Obama repeated the oath incorrectly even after Roberts took the opportunity to correct himself. Both were obviously nervous.
So far the more rational ones on the radio aren’t making much of it (Rush isn’t on yet, not that I’m gonna listen anyway), correctly pointing out that this has happened several times in the past and those to who it happened later recited the full oath in private. There will surely be a few that jump on this to prove some damn thing or another. But the birth certificate thing is still a big deal to them, so maybe Roberts screwed it up on purpose because he knows, and he didn’t want to swear in an illegal immigrant. :rolleyes:
Whilst traveling to Popeyes to pick up some lunch, I heard Rush mention and disregard the mistakes in the oath.
If Limbaugh can’t drag it out to a 30 minute segment it must be a non-issue.
He did sound like he was having fun, probably hasn’t been this happy since Clinton was in office.
ETA - “History in the making, with a botched oath. Where is the teleprompter when you really need it?” was about the extent of it, as far as I can tell.
That’s it. No more and no less. You don’t have to use your name nor ask for God’s help. Anything and everything said outside of the above words have no official standing, nor are required.
It seems to me Justice Roberts was thinking that since he, Justice Roberts, was not taking the oath, he should make the final part of the swear in a question addressed to Obama rather than a statement using “me”.
Of course, that’s silly. It has already been pointed out that the “So help me God” part is not an official part of the oath anyway, but also, he already stated the “I do solemnly swear” part. That part is, in fact, the empowering statement of the oath.*
Yes, the oath is important as a whole, no line or word of it is meaningful on its own. But “do swear” is the verb.
It’s more like someone saying, “Obama did not say the words in the correct order, and left out one word, therefore, he’s not really President and doesn’t have the authority to issue an Executive Order that outlaws the import of non-US manufactured ammunition*, so I don’t have to comply.”
*Or whatever condition you wish to protest/avoid/violate.