Is the Oath of Office written grammatically? Or grammatically written? And who actually messed up? Or who messed up, actually? Was it President Obama or Chief Justice Roberts?
Protocol-wise, whose interpretation matters most: Obama, Justice Roberts or God. Apparently Justice Roberts added, “So help you God?” or “So help you God.” at the end.
This last bit– whether declarative or posed as a question — is especially interesting: Is the Chief Justice asking if the President wants God’s help, giving him God’s blessing, or telling him to start praying?
Here’s the actual written oath:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Where does the oath of office come from? Marvin Pinkert, executive director of the National Archives Experience, displays several original documents regarding the presidential oath of office. Getty Images. From NPR website.