Agorism
12-01-2010, 01:13 PM
Swear-in switcheroo
Biden can't tell left from right for Kirk oath of office
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-biden-flub-1201-20101130,0,1804944.story
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N_0v5hOIMMQ/TMl53hdGv0I/AAAAAAAAAF0/x3y5MfWnNek/s1600/BidenCamaro.jpg
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden, the gaffe-prone vice president, strayed from tradition Monday at the swearing-in of Republican Mark Kirk, the new senator from Illinois.
Biden, who is president of the Senate, began by instructing Kirk: "Please place your right hand on the Bible."
Kirk, a Republican, did as instructed, putting his right hand on the Good Book and raising his left.
Oops. Here's guidance from "Traditions of the United States Senate," by Richard Baker, the Senate historian from 1975 to 2009: "Senators-elect affirm their oath to defend the U.S. Constitution by stepping forward, raising their right hand, and repeating the words spoken by the presiding officer. Some carry in their left hand a personal Bible or other sacred text."
Elizabeth Alexander, Biden's spokeswoman, said Tuesday there's no do-over in the works. "We've checked with the Senate parliamentarian, and he's told us that whether Senator Kirk held up his left or right hand is of no consequence and has no bearing on his status as a sitting senator," she said.
Sitting Senate historian Donald Ritchie, told of the incident, said it brought to mind Chief Justice John Roberts getting the words wrong when administering the oath of office to President Barack Obama.
"People make mistakes," Ritchie shrugged. Still, he agreed Monday's miscue is inconsequential.
"The importance of the oath is that you agree with the oath, not that you raise a particular hand or you hold a particular Bible," he said. "All are completely secondary to your commitment to upholding the Constitution and supporting the United States."
Kirk's swearing-in was re-enacted immediately afterward in the ornate Old Senate Chamber, where still cameras are allowed (unlike on the Senate floor, where the oath was recorded on video). Kirk, on his second try, got it right.
His office did not immediately respond to questions about the flub.
Biden can't tell left from right for Kirk oath of office
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-biden-flub-1201-20101130,0,1804944.story
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N_0v5hOIMMQ/TMl53hdGv0I/AAAAAAAAAF0/x3y5MfWnNek/s1600/BidenCamaro.jpg
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden, the gaffe-prone vice president, strayed from tradition Monday at the swearing-in of Republican Mark Kirk, the new senator from Illinois.
Biden, who is president of the Senate, began by instructing Kirk: "Please place your right hand on the Bible."
Kirk, a Republican, did as instructed, putting his right hand on the Good Book and raising his left.
Oops. Here's guidance from "Traditions of the United States Senate," by Richard Baker, the Senate historian from 1975 to 2009: "Senators-elect affirm their oath to defend the U.S. Constitution by stepping forward, raising their right hand, and repeating the words spoken by the presiding officer. Some carry in their left hand a personal Bible or other sacred text."
Elizabeth Alexander, Biden's spokeswoman, said Tuesday there's no do-over in the works. "We've checked with the Senate parliamentarian, and he's told us that whether Senator Kirk held up his left or right hand is of no consequence and has no bearing on his status as a sitting senator," she said.
Sitting Senate historian Donald Ritchie, told of the incident, said it brought to mind Chief Justice John Roberts getting the words wrong when administering the oath of office to President Barack Obama.
"People make mistakes," Ritchie shrugged. Still, he agreed Monday's miscue is inconsequential.
"The importance of the oath is that you agree with the oath, not that you raise a particular hand or you hold a particular Bible," he said. "All are completely secondary to your commitment to upholding the Constitution and supporting the United States."
Kirk's swearing-in was re-enacted immediately afterward in the ornate Old Senate Chamber, where still cameras are allowed (unlike on the Senate floor, where the oath was recorded on video). Kirk, on his second try, got it right.
His office did not immediately respond to questions about the flub.