Justice Roberts screws up the oath of office

That was pretty funny. You could see the expression on Obamas face: What is this guy doing? Hello. Get some coffee for this guy.

Just for fun they should redo the oath on the Letterman show. And that should fend off the cooks who would claim Obama isn't president.

When moments like this happen on TV it can divert the attention of the viewer no matter how small it is.

Nice job, Bob.

You mean the CHIEF JUSTICE of the Supreme Court - another Bush incompetent appointed to a highly sensitive position. But right away, President Obama kept his cool under pressure, knowing exactly what he had to say to be sworn in - smooth move.

Obama won't allow himself to be bogged down by such trivial inconsistency...

Personally if I was in that situation I think I'd be lucky if I didn't pass out or hide under a chair with several billion people watching me.

Still, you figure you would've worked on your stage fright a bit so you could at least stammer out the words in the correct order at one of the most important moments in the history of the world.

How embarrassing for him.

iconic

Maybe Roberts screwed it up on purpose so that, later, someone can claim that Obama's not really our president.
Of course, that kind of thing never happens in the game of politics.
Right?

What a stupid thing to say regarding him saying "So help me god". I understand the liberal mentality of "push away religion" but I mean lets get real for a second...

If he chooses to use God to be sworn into office that's his own preference. You're not the one being sworn in so how does this have anything to do with you? If it's his belief, let him use that to empower his words...

And as was said, he chooses.... he is the president after all.

I thought it lightened the mood. It added a touch of imperfection and silliness.

i bet old man roberts did that on purpose. (crazy racist redneck)
even with the screw up, as of noon today he is the prez. and thank god for that.

now what am i going to do with my 1-20-09 bush's last day bumper sticker???

I watched the swearing in of the President. And when Obama paused for a split second all my classmates went berserk saying he was bad at speaking because he messed up a few words. I told my classmates that he didn't mess up, the Justice messed up. It wouldn't even be a bother if Obama did mess up because I think he is a very powerful speaker and I know he'll give better, empowering speeches about important issues concerning America.

You gotta give him credit, Obama was very gracious about it.

well I had a chuckle

I wondered what happened. So, Obama had indeed memorized the oath and had to stop because he wouldn't have been repeating what Roberts fed him? But he did jump in too soon on the first line, didn't he? Oh well. So far, there hasn't been anything else to make fun of about our new President!

Pretty funny, but its just a mistake..

Notice that our President, after hearing Judge Roberts' simi-correction, said a changed version the Judge's wording and made it a bit better (by putting the word on the end instead of at the beginning of this statement). Whatever his intention in it, Judge Roberts is redeemed a bit by it, and the whole situation then becomes acceptable as something that can not be undone by a simple verbalization error, even though the meaning is, in this particular case, possibly changed by the word rearrangement. I don't see how, though, after examining it minimally.
The bottom line: I accept this President's affirmation as though it had been complete in every detail, unless at some later time he should try to use that same detail in a way that would force me to see it by this hypothesis of his own untenable magnitude or beginning place or point of view.

I think the Chief Justice was in on a foiled assassination plot, that's why he was standing 10 feet away and why he didn't bother to rehearse the oath, he didn't think they'd get a chance to finish it anyway.

If he had chosen to NOT say "so help me God" as countless presidents had done so before him, I think Christian America's brain would have exploded. We've never heard a president opt out of mentioning God, and if he had, there would have been just as many people saying, "Well, that's it, he's an atheist. Let's go get him!" It's a safety precaution. :-)

wow how'd he manage to screw that up. I know they were nervous, but camon man.

The headline said, "Change Arrives" but I didn't expect it to arrive with the phrasing of the oath. I understand nerves at a time like this, but I was embarrassed by Justice Roberts, very unprofessional. On the other hand it appeared Pres. Obama knew the oath ahead and gave Roberts a chance to correct it. I thought he handled the moment with his usual composure.

I would simply be concerned that an inaccurate oath might give extreme factions opposed to Obama's presidency a foothold to waste judicial time and taxpayer money to contest the validity of his presidency, on the thin claim that he was not properly sworn in.

Yes, it was little more than a quick chuckle, and shit happens... unless someone decided to capitalise on it and make a federal case out of it, creating needless litigious mire, much like the saying "it's all fun and games until someone gets hurt." As much as I hate to admit it, I expect there would be at least one or two groups in this country who would consider such an action.

We all hope for "people" to be rational and reasonable, level-headed and sensible, possessing a modicum of good, common sense. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

I thought it was somewhat charming. I would have done the same so I can't harass him

I like it when slip ups like that happen. It brings humanity to it, sorta.

And will everybody shut the HELL up about the "invoking God" thing. He's not required to say it.

When we get an atheist President, he or she can arrange ahead of time to have the God thing taken out.

I thought he was a speaker who rarely (if ever) made mistakes...that's the way it appeared in all the TV coverage.

Then I went to see him speak in Missouri (one of his last campaign stops) and found that he is human and does stumble, stutter, and/or misspeak.

I'm pretty sure he's beating himself up over the error...but as benvenuto pointed out, "Justice Roberts screwed up the oath of office."

Heh, I liked that moment. I had already felt all the emotion I could feel, it was a nice bit of humour.

give em a break, shit happens.

well, it is important for Barack to be faithfull

just saying

Seriously who cares? It’s a presidential inauguration. You should be happy for whatever tidbit of unscripted entertainment happens to fall your way.

Not to mention the fact that he invoked god a few times in the inaugural address.

He did kind of screw it up. I chuckled when I thought I'd be teary eyed. Ah well.

Pretty embarrassing to watch.

Oh, and hey, Obama said "so help me God." America isn't a fascist theocracy. Strange, since all the militant atheist folk were all up in arms about it.

I think that prior to the event, the incoming president states if he'd like to say "so help me god." It's not all done on the fly.

Well, Roberts proves that even the loftiest Bush appointee is too dim-witted to memorize 35 words in 3 years.

more news for the press...

Bush appointed unqualified individuals everywhere he could. This was not accidental from his stupidity, it was his aggressive post-modern cynical approach to government. He doesn't believe in government, so he feels the worst people should run it to prove that government is bad.

What the hell is wrong with Sandra Day O'Connor to resign under bush. Disgusting.

For a minute,... I thought Bushisms were contagious. But then I realized Roberts effed it up.

For such a big moment... there is an ooppsss on the most important time of this moment. Lol.

i got a kick out of that

I was just waiting for Obama to say,
"John? Let's start over. Okay?"