"So help you God?'', Roberts asked - not part of the Presidential Oath

[Control-Z]

I honestly believe that the honorable Chief Justice John Roberts intentionally flubbed not just the beginning (speaking over Obama) and middle (rearranging the order of the words) of the oath, but the end when he (possibly) challenged Obama's faith, with the question. It bothered me so much that I looked it up. What I found was '"The language of the oath, in Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution, does not include ''so help me God."'

I've seen a few threads about the blundered oath, but none with reference to what I found to be the glaringly obnoxious, and intentional question.

'The Constitution says that a president-elect becomes the president automatically, at the stroke of noon on the appointed day, meaning that Barack Obama was already president when he took the oath of office. I suppose he could have recited the Boy Scout oath, or ''Jabberwocky,'' and he still would have been president.'

snip

'What struck me, though, was the way Roberts ended the oath. The language of the oath, in Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution, does not include ''so help me God.'' Presidents have added that part themselves ever since FDR. But the Chief Justice, instead of simply stating that phrase, like the rest of the oath, for the president-elect to restate himself, made it into a question -- ``So help you God?'' -- as if he were interrogating Obama about whether he does believe in God.'


more: http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2009/01/chief-just...

[Beaverhausen]

1. Obama asked to say "so help me God"

no biggie

[BlooInBloo]

3. Hush. You're detracting from the outrage over shit that doesn't mean anything.

[Control-Z]

6. No outrage

Just an observation. I think the footage of Obama's oath will be around for years to come, and was probably not the one he had dreamed of or would have chosen. It's too bad Roberts effed it up so badly, including asking, rather than stating "so help me god".

[Control-Z]

4. It wasn't what he said as much

as the way he "asked it". That is what made me look it up. He flubbed every part of the oath. It was glaring with every line he spoke. I think it was intentional. Just my opinion.

[Occam Bandage]

11. Yes, he intentionally tried to make himself look like an idiot,

by intentionally fucking up so badly Obama felt they had to redo it the next day. Boy, what a cunning plan.

[Control-Z]

15. Ruining Obama's big day,

his big moment, in any way possible, would be no biggie to someone like Roberts. A little egg on his face would be nothing to destroying Obama's moment. Kind of like a suicide bomber on a lesser scale. It's all done for the greater good (evil).

Or is there something redeeming about Roberts I'm not aware of? Is he a good guy who deserves the benefit of the doubt?

[NYC Liberal]

7. It never used to be said as part of the oath

It used to be that the chief justice would recite the whole oath as a question: "Do you solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of your ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States?"

And the incoming president would say "I do." Or, "I do, so help me God." The "so help my God" was appended to their acceptance of the oath, not the oath itself.

[Dhampir Kampf]

2. Yeah

Nothing originally had the words "Under God", or "In God We Trust" in anything involving the government until the 1900s for the most part.

[liberalmuse]

5. Ron Reagan Jr. was talking about this very thing the night before the inauguration.

He said he was not against a President saying, 'So help me god', but that it was not in The Constitution and he was against a justice forcing a President to repeat it, so to speak. Fuck Roberts.

[Control-Z]

10. Exactly

And it didn't play well to my ears. The whole thing left me shaking my head and feeling badly for Obama and his big moment.

[Occam Bandage]

12. If Obama requests it be part of the repeated oath, how is Roberts "forcing" Obama to repeat it?

[Raine]

13. "forcing" I'm sure Obama agreed

ahead of time as to having that part in.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. Roberts did not force the President to say that phrase

The President actually requested that Roberts ask it:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/09/obama-t...

[ronnykmarshall]

8. Oh jesus!

[Occam Bandage]

9. Obama asked him to append that. "So help me God" has been said by most Presidents.

It doesn't invalidate the oath any more than "Congratulations, Mr. President" does.

[Raine]

14. oh sure Robert's deliberately wanted to go down in history

as an idiot that flubbed it up for Obama.

[Hansel]

18. Clearly.

This whole thing does seem like a manufactured controversy doesn't it? Roberts seemed somewhat giddy about being a part of this historic moment. I think he was genuinely proud to be a part of this and would do anything to have that 30 seconds back so he could do it perfectly.

[Two Americas]

16. always

If I am not mistaken, going back to FDR at least, that phrase has always been added.

Someone posted links to the audio of the administering of the oath to all modern presidents a while back, and that phrase was there on every one of them.

[RollWithIt]

17. Srry, on this one I think the guy just failed due to being nervous or just plain stupidity....

He was after all, appointed by Bush.

[Control-Z]

19. That could very well be

My non-believer status, and hatred for all things Roberts could be clouding my judgment.