For all you rabid rule-followers out there who claim that Obama wasn't really president yet, he has now officially re-taken the oath of office, this time with John Roberts not fucking up. According to a reporter, Roberts asked, "Are you ready to take the oath?" and Obama replied, "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly."
Would those people think that if the Rabbi f-ed up our wedding vows, then I'm not really married? That would be kind of cool. But I guess I wouldn't be qualified for alimony. Never mind.
Posted by: Di | January 22, 2009 at 08:20 AM
I'm still mad at Roberts for stealing that moment from us.
Posted by: Elena | January 22, 2009 at 10:28 AM
What difference does it make? Obama isn't even a natural born citizen of the United States!
Kidding! But there are people who aren't.
Posted by: scott | January 22, 2009 at 10:49 AM
It's my understanding that he became president at noon on Wednesday, regardless of whether he took an oath at all. It's not rabid rulefollowers who questioned the legitimacy of Obama's status, it's whackjobs. The transposition of a word does not an election unmake. But I guess it's good that he just did a do-over, to shut the eejits up.
Posted by: Wendy | January 22, 2009 at 12:47 PM
I was listening to the Constitutional Law experts on Talk of the Nation, and apparently it's not as straightforward as that. Article II says that he became president at the stroke of noon, but Amendment 20 says that he has to be sworn in -- and actually say those 35 words, which are in quotation marks in the Constitution -- to become president. So, all agreed that it would be prudent to just go ahead and do it again. Plus there was the added bonus of making sure everyone knew John Roberts made a huge gaffe.
Posted by: Karen | January 22, 2009 at 02:25 PM
The republicans where I work are utterly convinced that it was Obama who made the gaffe. I sense they will seize any opportunity to polarize. Sigh.
Posted by: Tonya | January 22, 2009 at 06:50 PM