Grammar Nazi Rampage! "constructionist" Roberts alters Constitution to repair split infinitive.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Edited to correct my dumb self... it's not "to" faithfully so there's no infinitive to split. But it's still funny.)

This amuses me because Roberts is from the school that claims to revere the Constitution exactly as written.

Here's the oath as it appears in our Constitution:

"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."

Here's the oath as presented by Roberts:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will execute the office of President of the United States faithfully, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." (Or maybe it was "execute faithfuly"... in any event, with the adverb after the verb.)

"Strict constructionist" my ass! If the framers of the Constitution wanted it to be grammatically correct they damn well would have written it that way!

It makes sense that Obama hesitated since what he was hearing was not the Oath as it has always been given. Where the freepers get the notion the Constitution part was skipped is beyond me... it wasn't. In most federal oaths the Constitution part comes first but in the Presidential Oath it comes second.

We can presume Roberts is no Star Trek fan. ("...to boldly go where no man has gone before.")

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. (OP edited for clarity)

[Patsy Stone]

2. He is unfamiliar with the source document.

It probably the first time he's ever read the Constitution.

[pnwmom]

3. It was worse than that.

He said, "execute the office of President TO the United States faithfully" -- which doesn't make any sense.

Prepositions are important!

[leftstreet]

4. He thought that's what it said when he skimmed it years ago nt/

[kenny blankenship]

5. I'm sure this will not be the only time Obama has to remind Roberts of what the words actually say