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WASHINGTON – Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. is a lucky man.
Yes, he fumbled his role at Barack Obama’s swearing-in Tuesday, hesitating and then misplacing the word “faithfully” when he administered the oath of office. And, yes, Roberts’ mistake was seen ‘round the world, sparking bizarre chatter on the Web about whether Obama was the lawful president.
To recap, Roberts was supposed to lead Obama through the oath that begins, “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States…” Roberts, working without notes, said, ``…that I will execute the office of president of the United States faithfully."
It’s embarrassing, but here’s why Roberts is lucky: He got a do-over. He re-administered the oath Wednesday. No harm done.
Most people who mess up don’t get to wipe the slate clean the very next day. Second chances are a rare glory in life. Perhaps it’s schadenfreude, glee at another’s misfortune, but we seem all too eager to pillory other people’s mistakes, even though we pray they’ll overlook ours.
The White House maintained that the do-over wasn’t necessary but was done out of an “abundance of caution.”
“You know lawyers,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Obama also probably wanted to nip in the bud all the jokes and noise over the mistake. His vice president, an irrepressible gaffe machine, had already made light of the chief justice.
Joe Biden was about to swear in senior White House staff Wednesday afternoon when he said, “My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts” – his jokey way of asking for a text of the oath. Some in the room laughed, but Obama’s mouth was a straight line.
A few hours later, Roberts stopped by the White House, put on his black judicial robe and gave the oath to Obama again. No muss, no fuss, not even a television camera to capture the 25-second do-over.
Obama was relaxed about the whole thing, quipping that he wanted to take the oath slow, and, no, he would not re-enact the rest of the day and go to series of balls.
Roberts isn’t the only one to feel the glow of a second chance this week.
New York Federal Reserve Bank president Timothy F. Geithner, Obama’s nominee for Treasury secretary, didn’t pay all his taxes a few years ago. A 2006 audit by the IRS found that he had failed to pay the self-employment taxes he owed in 2003 and 2004 when he worked for the International Monetary Fund. He paid up with interest.
But when Obama vetters started looking into Geithner’s background late last year for the Treasury post, they said he’d made the same mistake in 2001 and 2002.
Geithner said he’d made “careless mistakes” in not realizing he also needed to pay up for the earlier years. His do-over came at a cost. He had to pay $42,702 in back taxes and interest. Critics say he wouldn’t have bothered had he not been tapped to lead Treasury.
Geithner tried to blame the TurboTax software program he used to prepare his taxes, but the company said the software would have caught the error and red-flagged it.
Past Cabinet nominees with similar problems in their background have been derailed, but Geithner survived because the need for his expertise during the economic crisis is so great.
In some ways, every administration change brings policy do-overs.
Obama already has overturned some of the Bush administration’s most controversial policies. He signed a series of executive orders to roll back or institute new policies on ethics, lobbying activities by staffers after they leave the White House, transparency in government, interrogation techniques for suspected terrorists and conduct of the war on terror. He froze the pay of senior White House staff. He set in motion the process to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Do-overs by executive order are quick and they show a new direction in the White House. But they’re easy compared with the hard work of making good on other promises – reforming health care, creating millions of jobs and restoring financial security.
For all that, Obama will need time and maybe a second chance or two.
(What do you think? Comment below.)
Yes, he fumbled his role at Barack Obama’s swearing-in Tuesday, hesitating and then misplacing the word “faithfully” when he administered the oath of office. And, yes, Roberts’ mistake was seen ‘round the world, sparking bizarre chatter on the Web about whether Obama was the lawful president.
To recap, Roberts was supposed to lead Obama through the oath that begins, “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States…” Roberts, working without notes, said, ``…that I will execute the office of president of the United States faithfully."
It’s embarrassing, but here’s why Roberts is lucky: He got a do-over. He re-administered the oath Wednesday. No harm done.
Most people who mess up don’t get to wipe the slate clean the very next day. Second chances are a rare glory in life. Perhaps it’s schadenfreude, glee at another’s misfortune, but we seem all too eager to pillory other people’s mistakes, even though we pray they’ll overlook ours.
The White House maintained that the do-over wasn’t necessary but was done out of an “abundance of caution.”
“You know lawyers,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
Obama also probably wanted to nip in the bud all the jokes and noise over the mistake. His vice president, an irrepressible gaffe machine, had already made light of the chief justice.
Joe Biden was about to swear in senior White House staff Wednesday afternoon when he said, “My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts” – his jokey way of asking for a text of the oath. Some in the room laughed, but Obama’s mouth was a straight line.
A few hours later, Roberts stopped by the White House, put on his black judicial robe and gave the oath to Obama again. No muss, no fuss, not even a television camera to capture the 25-second do-over.
Obama was relaxed about the whole thing, quipping that he wanted to take the oath slow, and, no, he would not re-enact the rest of the day and go to series of balls.
Roberts isn’t the only one to feel the glow of a second chance this week.
New York Federal Reserve Bank president Timothy F. Geithner, Obama’s nominee for Treasury secretary, didn’t pay all his taxes a few years ago. A 2006 audit by the IRS found that he had failed to pay the self-employment taxes he owed in 2003 and 2004 when he worked for the International Monetary Fund. He paid up with interest.
But when Obama vetters started looking into Geithner’s background late last year for the Treasury post, they said he’d made the same mistake in 2001 and 2002.
Geithner said he’d made “careless mistakes” in not realizing he also needed to pay up for the earlier years. His do-over came at a cost. He had to pay $42,702 in back taxes and interest. Critics say he wouldn’t have bothered had he not been tapped to lead Treasury.
Geithner tried to blame the TurboTax software program he used to prepare his taxes, but the company said the software would have caught the error and red-flagged it.
Past Cabinet nominees with similar problems in their background have been derailed, but Geithner survived because the need for his expertise during the economic crisis is so great.
In some ways, every administration change brings policy do-overs.
Obama already has overturned some of the Bush administration’s most controversial policies. He signed a series of executive orders to roll back or institute new policies on ethics, lobbying activities by staffers after they leave the White House, transparency in government, interrogation techniques for suspected terrorists and conduct of the war on terror. He froze the pay of senior White House staff. He set in motion the process to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Do-overs by executive order are quick and they show a new direction in the White House. But they’re easy compared with the hard work of making good on other promises – reforming health care, creating millions of jobs and restoring financial security.
For all that, Obama will need time and maybe a second chance or two.
(What do you think? Comment below.)