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boston university
politics
A Little Nervous, Big O?
Matt NegrinPosted: Jan 20th 2009 10:11PM
Filed under: US Elections, Politics, Featured Stories, Boston UniversityIsn't it refreshing to know that the first sentence uttered by our new president had a remarkably similar rhythm and awkwardness as the many phrases said by our previous one? Let's relive that historic moment one more time.
It all began when Chief Justice John Roberts asked Barack Obama, "Are you ready to take the oath, senator?" To which Obama lied, "I am."
Roberts: I, Barack Hussein Obama --
Obama: I, Bar --
Roberts: -- do solemnly swear
Obama: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear
Roberts: That I will executive the office of president to the United States faithfully
Obama: That I will execute ... (... line!)
(Presidentially awkward pause)
Roberts: The off -- faithfully the pres -- office of president of the United States
Obama: The office of president of the United States faithfully
Roberts: And will to the best of my ability
Obama: And will to -- 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 (nailed that one!)
Roberts: So help you god?
Obama: So help me god.
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Why so nervous, Obama? It's only one of the biggest events in history, with about the entire world watching you as you prepare to take the reins of the most powerful position ever created. Sure, you'll have to deal with a financial crisis or two, and the planet may melt before you leave office, but come on, loosen up! You sure were relaxed when you drained that three-pointer in Kuwait.
I guess this is what John McCain meant when he said Obama didn't have enough experience to be commander-in-chief. McCain has been sworn into the Senate four times as much as Obama has. He could have recited the oath while sleeping during one of his many daily naps.
Maybe Obama was so nervous that he tried one of those old stage-fright tricks, like picturing everyone naked. Everyone, all 2 million people chanting his name, and then Dick Cheney in a wheelchair, and then Justice Roberts -- no wonder he got a little befuddled.
Obama, you get maybe one more shot at this in four years, if you get reelected. Let's hope that when you said you would "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution" that you also meant you would practice reading it every night.
UPDATE: Obama has been re-inaugurated, just to be sure that everything's squared away in the eyes of the constitutional gods.
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Myah
12:03AM 12:03AM Jan 21st 2009
You might want to get your facts straight before commenting on something. It was Roberts who made the mistake, and Barack was patiently allowing him to right his error. It was quite an ordinary human moment at an extraordinary event.
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beau
2:09PM 2:09PM Jan 21st 2009
his speech was read from a teleprompter, and BHO admitted he made the mistake with the oath...at least BHO tells the truth...thats about all. He is an intelligent man, but his IQ is not very high. He is not considered a genuis by any means. My IQ is 180...wanna see who is smarter...BHO will lose every time. He is a man, puts his pants on one leg at a time, he is nothing special. Be happy your person of color worn...stop trying to make him out to be a savior...he is just a man.
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buddy
12:13AM 12:13AM Jan 21st 2009
give the new president a break.justice roberts used a differentoath.no wonder the president got tongue tied.give him a break.even the justice admitted he was the one that was nervous.
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Joni Mitchell
10:23AM 10:23AM Jan 21st 2009
It totally amazes me. Not that the justice slipped up or that the new president slipped up....what amazes me is that if President Bush had slipped up on his words this would have been front page news by every mainstream media.
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giles chauvin
12:48AM 12:48AM Jan 21st 2009
you need to sue your school to get your tuition back.
you didnt know that roberts read the words out of order, and that obama caught it and waited for roberts to correct himself.
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speak
11:31AM 11:31AM Jan 21st 2009
Matt Negrin,
Are you really that dumb to continue to lie to your teeth to all Americans? When are you going to learn to tell the truth for a change? Are you that hateful of Obama that even when the world sees the truth, you see something completely different? Know that you cannot fool Americans anymore - the time for nincompoops like you to take advantage of the American people is long gone. Why should Obama be nervous? Obama is smarter than you'll ever be. Do you have to see the real truth and distort it to suit your dubious purpose? Where will it get you - you asshole! Why didn't you report that the Chief Justice apologized to Obama later on? He acknowledged it was his mistake. It is people like you who are not fit to be in charge of anything. You can continue to hate all you want - Obama is going to lead for the first four years and then beat whosoever the manipulating party brings up the following four years. Matt Negrin, why don't you be as smart as Obama and do what he did and contest against him in the next four years? You don't have the backbone!!!
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ELonda Womack
2:48AM 2:48AM Jan 21st 2009
And let us all not forget the AWESOME speech our new President gave following that oath, that was NOT read from a piece of paper. He surely didn't mess that one up now did he???????? I think that proves who screwed up on the oath. THIS FAMILY LOVES OUR PRESIDENT OBAMA and are looking forward to 3 terms!!!
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Rhonda
9:20AM 9:20AM Jan 21st 2009
The speech was read from a telepromter. That is why you don't see him reading from paper.
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beau
2:14PM 2:14PM Jan 21st 2009
there is no way per US law that a person of any color or religion can serve for 3 terms. Please brush up on your US History. How did you figure out how to vote?
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ZerdaWald
9:58AM 9:58AM Jan 21st 2009
I saw the "replay" maybe 4 times. Roberts screwed up. The man is the chief protector of the Constitution, and didn't bother either to memorize his line -- FROM the Constitution -- nor to bring a card to read from. Obama knew Roberts was getting it wrong. And, given the history of his appointment (did then-Senator Obama vote for him or against?), it isn't too hard a leap to believe he may have sabotaged the moment for Obama.
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KUNZSP
3:37PM 3:37PM Jan 21st 2009
No offense to either CJ Roberts or
President Obama, but if Bush had slipped
up it would have been front page news
and the media sticking it to him which
they did from Day One.and I despised them
for it--that Bushbashing
Phyllis Kunz
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rggedmntsmith
5:53PM 5:53PM Jan 21st 2009
He should be nervous with every sniper in the country after his black ass.
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Mary Brown
11:59PM 11:59PM Jan 21st 2009
People we do have major problems in this country. We do not have time for snarks. Both President Obama and Chief Justice Roberts made a mistake. They have now corrected it. I am a grandma so I am going to give some advice to the young man who wrote the piece. You had better hope that this new President and the rest of the folks in our government are successful. Because my dear, if they are not, you may not have the bright future we want you to have. I hope there will be a good vigorous debate on issues. We need people who are willing and able to grow up.
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Kevin
7:21AM 7:21AM Jan 22nd 2009
I would agree with the posters who suggest you get your facts straight. I have watched the video 16 times already. Roberts paused. He stopped speaking. When delivering an oath for someone to take, you continue speaking until the designated stopping point. ROBERTS Stopped speaking after "I, Barack Hussein Obama." Even a pregnant bride at her wedding would have started speaking. Roberts should have allowed him to continue. Then finish the sentence. "Faithfully", if you read your own copy of the Constitution, you will find that 'Faithfully" does not come at the end of the sentence as ROBERTS stated it. The entire thing was fumbled, first by ROBERTS, and then by OBAMA who was clearly thinking 'do I repeat what this fool is saying (Which i know is not correct) or do I correct him on international television.' ROBERTS owns this gaffe and should have publically apologized to the nation. However, note the irony of him having been appointed by the poster child for illiterate and bumbling public figures: George Bush, Jr.
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Ruth
3:42PM 3:42PM Jan 22nd 2009
It is amazing that you and others are making such a big deal of this. Roberts made a mistake (I suppose that YOU would be calm and collected in front of over a million people -- besides all of those watching on television). Then Obama repeated the mistake. Roberts apologized for the mistake. They were advised by constitutional scholars that just to be on the safe side, they should redo the oath and so they did. End of story. There must be precious little for you to write about, if you have to be snide about this -- and you even got your facts wrong. I am 62 years old and I have seen a lot in all my years. I used to think that BU was a good school. Maybe they ought to teach a little more about critical thinking and being an empathic human being.
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DenaM
12:17PM 12:17PM Jan 22nd 2009
I immediately noticed the runoff of words spoken by Chief Justice Roberts. I clearly heard the silence at the pause. I also gathered from the expression on President Obama's face that he was waiting for the Chief Justice to begin again and get it right ... because the oath was being misquoted.
Chief Justice STILL got it wrong on the repeat effort, and President Obama's emphasis on the word "faithfully" at the END of the last sentence was key to showing that Chief Justice STILL got it wrong. It is "...will faithfully execute the duties..." - not all that verbage with "faithfully" at the end.
So, for all the self-appointed critics who need something to critique - critique the Justice right along with Obama.
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voice of reason
3:03PM 3:03PM Jan 22nd 2009
I assume you have noticed by now that the problem was that Roberts got it wrong, not that Obama did. Obama, like he does with all sorts of things, clearly practiced it repeatedly (as the Times reported he did with saluting), and was taken aback when Roberts used the wrong wording. Hell - Wolf Blitzer noticed he got it wrong.
As to the person who claims his IQ is 180 and that Obama, a Harvard-educated constitutional law expert, is not smart, I'd like to point out that the repeated "..." makes you look like you're 13 years old, and I'm not certain what the accusation "your person of color" is intended to signify.
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Nickers
9:01PM 9:01PM Jan 22nd 2009
VOR: Go back to your barn. BAH BAH BAH
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Nickers
9:17PM 9:17PM Jan 22nd 2009
VOR:
Go back to your barn. BAH, BAH, BAH
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Ora Harris
4:32PM 4:32PM Jan 22nd 2009
Beau,
You are an idiot. It showed when you brought color into it. You are a racist. You weren't when the dummbie that just left office, didn't have the sense to know that we were in a recession. Of course, what does it matter, he's (white). whoray for his whiteness. I am concern about my country not Barack's ethinicity. Of course you are to dumb to be concerned. Go jump in a lake.
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