Roberts' Oath Flub Trips Up Obama

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»

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»

Oddly, nobody is surprised by veep's gaffe

(NEWSER) - The sun rose in the east today, and Joe Biden apologized for a hokey joke. The VP called Chief Justice John Roberts to say he was sorry for his crack about the flubbed inaugural oath, the Christian Science Monitor reports. “My memory’s not as good as Justice Roberts,” Biden said as he prepared to swear in White House staffers in his first full day on the job. A spokesman says the two "had a good conversation." More»

(NEWSER) - Better safe than sorry: Chief Justice John Roberts went to the White House this evening and re-administered the oath of office to President Obama, the Washington Post reports. The two made up for their much-publicized bungle on Inauguration Day "out of an abundance of caution," said White House counsel Greg Craig. More»