Obama takes the oath of office a second time

Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath of office to President Obama a second time this evening. Roberts flubbed his lines yesterday and the oath was administered in a way different from how it is written in the Constitution. The second swearing in took 25 seconds. Obama said afterward, "The bad news for the pool is there's 12 more balls."

I would like to offer an opinion about this little ritual. The Constitution prescribes a specific set of words in a specific order. I think a little fidelity to the Constitution is refreshing. There was never any question that Obama was president. The Constitution mandated his term began on January 20 at noon, and he was president before the oath was sworn the first time. On the other hand, I am not a strict constructionist, so it's just as well that we lay to rest the peculiar obsessions of the demagogic right.