Inaugural Bibles: Past Presidential Picks

Chief justice swears in US' first black president

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States. In front of record crowds and with his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln, Obama took the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. The new president swore: “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, so help me God.” More»

Inaugural address pressure is on, but Lincoln may help

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama has nearly completed his inaugural address, and he's uniquely qualified to take on a seemingly insurmountable challenge: living up to the example set by the likes of Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy. "I would think we would hear the most eloquent speech since JFK’s 48 years ago," Kennedy speechwriter Ted Sorensen tells Politico. So ... no pressure! More»

(NEWSER) - All four living former presidents will attend Ted Kennedy’s invitation-only funeral, the Boston Herald reports. President Obama will also be there, breaking off his Martha’s Vineyard vacation to deliver a eulogy. Gordon Brown also plans to attend, as will Irish PM Brian Cowen. “Sen. Kennedy is being honored as though he were a former sitting president,” observed one political scientist. More»

Chattering class sure to run with Obama's omission, though it's a perfectly legal one

(NEWSER) - Huge news out of Washington: Barack Obama didn’t use a Bible when he re-took the oath of office! Is he really the president? Well, yes, says Alex Koppelman of Salon. “Legally, the president can be sworn in on a copy of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and the oath would count.” Will that stop Matt Drudge from complaining? Uh, no. More»

Lawyers advise he retake fudged oath to avoid controversy

(NEWSER) - OK, it's probably not going to come up in court, but some constitutional lawyers tell the San Francisco Chronicle that Barack Obama should retake his flubbed oath just to be on the safe side. Presidents Coolidge and Arthur did after similar gaffes. It "would take him 30 seconds, he can do it in private, it's not a big deal, and he ought to do it just to be safe," said a Boston University constitutional scholar. "It's an open question whether he's president until he takes the proper oath." More»