The commenters have some good points. When I watched it live, it sure looked like Obama botched it and the first mistake was clearly his, but it looks like the second mistake was Roberts' and hijinks ensued.
First, let me say that I wish President Obama the best during his four years in office. Let's have Democrats run things for a few years and see how it works out. Besides, I'm so happy about the way things have turned out in Arizona that I'm ready to declare the Obama Administration a spectacular success--and since I'm constantly trying to find left-handed role models for my kids, I think this is an especially great day.
But come on, you have to appreciate how ironic it is that the left has been pummeling Bush for being inarticulate and crowing about how intelligent, smooth and sophisticated Obama is...and then Obama flubs the oath of office.
Here's a great examplefrom Jon Talton.
Just to have a president who can speak well and intelligently, who reads books and newspapers, who seems to have an interior life, calm center and an open mind, who's smart, who won't embarrass us in the world.
Speaking of intelligence, I think Jon needs to buy a verb, but you get the point. Here's the video.
Dude, that's really painful to watch.
Of course it would have nothing to do with John Roberts flubbing the oath and Obama trying to speak the oath correctly.
Check your video playback for the real flubster.
Posted by: Peter C | January 20, 2009 at 06:26 PM
Let's here it for the oaf of office.
Posted by: Steve | January 20, 2009 at 07:00 PM
Speaking of irony, has anyone noticed Jon Talton is still unemployed, despite leaving the unwashed Phoenix masses in favor of the liberal nirvana of Seattle?
Posted by: Sam | January 20, 2009 at 07:45 PM
Aw, give him a break. I like a little humility.
Posted by: Jim Torgeson | January 20, 2009 at 07:54 PM
Ah, yeah. As Peter C said, Roberts made the mistake. Oops.
Posted by: todd | January 20, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Gotta appreciate those darned mainstream Slate Magazine people who took the time to write out the exchange and found it was Roberts who messed up.
And since we're talking about articulation, I'll point out that the man who trashed the oath of office to the most powerful seat on the globe – was a Bush appointee...
ROBERTS: (working without a text, and also without an overcoat): Are you prepared to take the oath, Senator?
OBAMA: I am.
ROBERTS: I Barack Hussein Obama ...
OBAMA: (interrupting) I Barack ...
ROBERTS: Do solemnly swear ...
OBAMA: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear ...
ROBERTS: That I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully...
OBAMA: That I will execute ... (pauses, smiles, waits for Roberts to put "faithfully" in correct spot)
ROBERTS: ... The off ... faithfully the pres ... the office of president of the United States...
OBAMA: The office of president of the United States, faithfully ... (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em)
ROBERTS: And will to the best of my ability ...
OBAMA: And will to [the] best of my ability ...
ROBERTS: Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
OBAMA: Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
ROBERTS: So help you God?
OBAMA: So help me God.
ROBERTS: Congratulations, Mr. President.
Posted by: Marizco | January 20, 2009 at 09:00 PM
Gotta side with the commenters above, it would appear that Justice Roberts made the flub.
I didn't vote for him but it's really remarkable the peaceful transition of power we have in this country. Other countries it happens with guns, here it happens with a paper ballot....and we're even allowed to have guns yet we honor the ballot and use our guns to defend ourselves and our freedoms...and put food on our tables.
This is a wonderful country we live in and I can excuse the Chief Justice, and anyone else on that dais, for a case of nerves or blowing a line.
And in the credit where credit is due department, one particular passage in his speech, especially the first part about not apologizing for our way of life to terrorists...that cuts right to the core of it and tells the islamofacists to stuff it so give the President a big thumbs up for saying that.
"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
It wasn't quite Kennedy's line about paying any price to defend liberty but it was in the right zip code.
Can't say I agreed with everything he said but I'll give him a thumbs up for that part. Hey, and he took Napolitano off of our hands so he can't be all bad.
Posted by: Stewie | January 20, 2009 at 11:07 PM
Greg--
Get your facts straight...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/20/chief-justice-roberts-officiates-inauguration/
http://blogs.abcnews.com/legalities/2009/01/chief-justice-f.html
Posted by: Gretchen | January 20, 2009 at 11:13 PM
A fair reading, I think, is that they both screwed up: Obama by jumping in early, and then by dropping a "the"; Roberts by giving the text of the oath incorrectly.
As for the rest, W does read books and newspapers, he has a famously "calm center," and he is smart by almost any definition. The rest, I suppose, is subjective...though I certainly agree with Talton that Bush does not typically speak well and intelligently. On the other hand, as far as Bush "embarrassing" us in the world, could that possibly be the world's problem, and not ours? By way of analogy, I'm sure a racially progressive relative is an embarrassment to a family full of unreconstructed bigots. And besides, a foreign policy that upsets France can't be all bad...
Posted by: Special Agent Johnny Utah | January 20, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Special Agent,
I think what Bush has done to embarrass the country has been starting a devastating war and occupation of aggression based on lies and deceit. Compared to that, his public speech flubs are largely irrelevant.
Posted by: todd | January 21, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I didn't vote for him, but I damn well am giving him my support and praying he does a good job. It won't help mocking him or complaining.
Love him or hate him, he's here for at least 4 years and let's make them the best 4 years we can.
Now as far as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid go... screw 'em.
Posted by: Jim Torgeson | January 21, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Todd: understood. However, I don't think the decision to go to war is something about which the country ought to be embarrassed, in part because I don't think what's going on is an occupation. (If the negotiated troop withdrawal agreement ends up just being a piece of paper and doesn't result in the orderly draw-down of U.S. troops in Iraq, then I'll have to re-think my position.) I do think we ought to be embarrassed about going to the U.N. for approval when we had already decided to go to war, no matter what the U.N. said. Then again, I think the U.N. ought to be embarrassed about doing nothing about Saddam (or, in the case of certain U.N. officials, making money off of him) despite his repeated, flagrant flouting of U.N. resolutions. I also think we ought to be embarrassed about the shoddy quality of our pre-war intelligence. Then again, so should the rest of the world's intelligence agencies. Finally, I think we ought to be embarrassed about the lousy execution of the war post-2003, about Abu Ghraib, etc. But the decision to go to war was not, in my mind, so obviously wrong--especially after 9/11, when our tolerance for risk dropped through the floor--that it ought to be an embarrassment to our country. In fact, looking back, even knowing everything we know now, I don't even think it was a mistake. I do understand, though, why you might disagree--even disagree vehemently.
Posted by: Special Agent Johnny Utah | January 21, 2009 at 12:19 PM
In case you missed it, President Obama was pretty gracious about the oath issue when asked about it:
Q: During the taking the oath of office, Chief Justice Roberts inadvertently switched some words -- you were trying to help him out there a little bit it seemed with your look.
THE PRESIDENT: We're up there, we've got a lot of stuff on our mind, and he actually, I think, helped me out on a couple of stanzas there. So over all, I think it went relatively smoothly, and I'm very grateful to him.
That was a class act.
Posted by: Chuck Blanchard | January 21, 2009 at 01:23 PM
Greg, why is it ironic when Roberts was the one who screwed up?
Posted by: Anonymous | January 21, 2009 at 02:03 PM
Sorry it didn't go smoother, but if nothing else, it will serve to drive Philip J. Berg absolutely nuts.
Posted by: Joe G. | January 21, 2009 at 06:08 PM
Put the oath flub in context of the boos Roberts just heard, and I think Roberts caused the flub deliberately.
Posted by: Name: | January 22, 2009 at 12:21 AM
There's no question that Roberts created the whole mess with his flub. Guess he was more nervous in his first presidential inauguration than Obama was.
And, Greg, I'm happy to hear you wish Obama (and the country) success, unlike that blowhard Rush "I HOPE HE FAILS' Limburgher whom most of your clones adore so much.
Posted by: muckracker | January 22, 2009 at 10:47 AM
Muckraker: If that's what you think Rush said, you need to listen to it again.
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=3460018&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com
Posted by: Clone you adore so much | January 22, 2009 at 10:55 AM