Houstonist: Sailors, speeches and celebration: live-blogging the inauguration

Michelle Calabretta

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:43:58 -0600

OOOH! at the end of that Gawker post they took a nasty dig at Houston. And then George W. Bush got to the chopper, and flew away, to Dallas, the worst city on Earth besides Houston, where be belongs." Jeez, what do we have to do to get some love?

Brittanie Shey

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:58:08 -0600

Yes it was. Scroll down for a very bizarre video of him.

Jim Parsons

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:46:36 -0600

Was that George H.W. Bush visible in the background wearing a fur hat and purple muffler? Whoever it was: Wow.

Brittanie Shey

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:53:37 -0600

No offense taken. Just trying to set the timeline straight for people who haven't seen the actual oath but have only heard the interpretations.

panu

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:44:51 -0600

Yes, I watched. I was just pointing out the differing interpretation of the event. Nothing personal. As you mentioned, there already are be people all over this, and, at least on Fox News, they've discussed court challenges.

Brittanie Shey

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:51:42 -0600

Yes, yes, there already lots of debate about this and what it "represents" for the future of the Administration, but if you watch the video again you'll see what happens: First, Obama accidentally cuts Roberts off before Roberts pauses to give Obama the chance to repeat after him. I think this threw Roberts off a little (and Obama is clearly nervous). Then, when Roberts continues, he at first forgets to say the word "faithfully," putting it at the end of the next line instead of the beginning. Obama realizes this doesn't sound right so he pauses, and the two do a little awkward dance of talking over each other before finally finding their rhythm again.

panu

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:33:27 -0600

According to this, it was Roberts who flubbed the oath, not Obama: http://althouse.blogspot.com/2009/01/sun-rises-on-obama-presidency-in.html "12:37: The Chief Justice in fact screwed up the oath. The Constitution requires: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Roberts left out the word "faithfully." (He also said "President to the United States.") Obama saw the mistake and stopped himself to give Roberts a chance to fix it. Roberts redid the line, remembering to throw in "faithfully," but putting it in the wrong place — after "President of the United States" — and, this time, Obama went along with the wording. Close enough, I guess he figured. I wonder what Barack Obama was thinking. Maybe: Some textualist you turned out to be!"