"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."
Seems hard to believe that one simple 35-word sentence could be so publicly scrambled doesn't it?
But what is really hard to believe is that Barack Obama had to take the presidential oath again just so that the rumours would not start flying that he was actually not the US 44th President and Commander-in-Chief.
Obama is not the first president to have to repeat the oath however - Calvin Coolidge and Chester Arthur also mangled the original swearing in and had to repeat the process behind closed doors according to The Washington Post last Wednesday.
What I did notice particularly was that there was no Obama stumble over the additional phrase "So help me God".
That should upset the great number of atheists and agnostics around the globe.
It also gives me pause for thought - if the wording of the oath is mandated by the US Constitution why is it not thought to be an improper oath if additional words are added?
Friday 23 January 2009
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Nope, so help me God is not in the Constitution. "I, name, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and I will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." Duely noted, he did not swear his 2nd Oath on the bible either.
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