(01-21) 17:57 PST Washington - -- President Barack Obama took the advice of constitutional lawyers and retook the oath of office Wednesday that Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the first time around. Roberts re-administered the oath privately Wednesday evening at 7:30 in the White House Map Room. White House counsel Greg Craig said Obama took the oath from Roberts again out of an "abundance of caution.""We decided it was so much fun," Obama joked to pool reporters as Roberts donned his black robe. "Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked.
"I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama replied. The oath took 25 seconds and went flawlessly, at which point Roberts said, "Congratulations, again."
Roberts had initially misplaced the word "faithfully," perhaps rattled after Obama jumped the gun a bit in reciting the first words back. Obama paused at Roberts' mistake, which Roberts then corrected, but Obama then repeated the words as Roberts first said them. Obama, who himself has taught constitutional law, said later that there was "a lot going on" at the historic moment.
The presidential oath is explicitly prescribed in the Constitution, Article II, Section One, which requires that the oath be taken as written before the president can execute his duties. It was discussed at some length at the Constitutional convention and has been taken by all 42 previous presidents. Scholars said no one doubted that Obama was president, and certainly no court would hear a challenge, but that a re-do would be recommended just to be safe.
The 20th Amendment also states that the term of the outgoing president ends at noon on Jan. 20, and the new president's term begins at that time, but the fact that the original Constitution explicitly requires the oath, and the fact that retaking it would be a simple matter, led most scholars to recommend erring on the side of caution, precedent and protocol.
Two previous presidents, Chester Arthur and Calvin Coolidge, retook their oaths under similar circumstances.