The Oath of Office

[msmemory_archive]

I so recognized the expression on Obama's face when he was being fed his lines for the oath of office. I see it on OES courtesy candidates sometimes: "You're giving me the wrong line. I know what my line is, and that isn't it. Should I say what you tell me, or the right thing?"

Comments

[herooftheage.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, you got it wrong, on two counts. 1) Though many (though not all) president-elects do it, the Constitution does not call for inserting your name into the Oath. 2) It's preserve, protect, and defend.

Sadly, every president-elect since FDR has also appended "so help me God" to the end of the thing.