George,

It appears that Chief Justice Roberts is not a strict constructionist after all. He did not use the words of the Constitution when he administered the oath of office to President Obama. The President’s oath of office, as explicitly spelled out in the Constitution, reads:
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, …”.

Roberts said: “I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear” [pause for Barack to repeat] “that I will execute the office of president to [sic] the United States faithfully …”. It was entirely Justice Roberts fault that there was a screw up.

He was not faithful to the Constitution when he misplaced the word “faithfully.”

The moral of the story is that incoming Presidents should not only take dancing lessons with their wives so they can perform well at the Balls, but also make sure the Chief Justice has his steps down in sync with you on the oath. (Of course, Barack and Michelle did not need dancing lessons, they have been dancing together for years.)

David RePass (Electronic mail, January 21, 2009)