Michael Smerconish: How did that 'oath pas' happen?

I'VE NEVER taken an oath of office, but I have given plenty of speeches. The invitations come with the territory when you host a daily radio program.

Sometimes I've ended my remarks knowing I knocked it out of the park. Other times, I've delivered a real stinker. The same can be said of the intros. More than once, I've attributed speeches that bombed to intros that did likewise.

I've grown accustomed to the minor flubs: The mispronunciation of my name. The botching of my resume. The omission of things I hoped my introducer would have said to give the audience a context for my remarks.

I've experienced them so often that to reduce the risk, I've started scripting not only my speech, but also the way I'll be introduced. Otherwise, you run the risk that you'll write a speech, practice your delivery and get in the zone, only to have someone screw up the start.

In my case, the only observers beyond the audience are the rubber chickens on the plates. I can only imagine how it feels when you compound that with a live audience of a million-plus and a worldwide TV audience.

So I feel for President Obama. He got a bad intro at the most pivotal moment, and it came from no less than Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts spoke without notes and threw Obama off his rhythm, which I think carried over into the inaugural address. Others are dissecting what the president said in his speech, but I'm focused on the manner in which he said it. Stiff, stern - and without the grin that captivated the nation.

I wonder if the flub has been a long time coming. Consider the wording the Constitution prescribes:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Now note the transcript NBC's Abby Livingston posted online:

Roberts: I, Barack Hussein Obama . . .

Obama: I, Barack . . .

Roberts: do solemnly swear . . .

Obama: I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear . . .

Roberts: . . . that I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully . . .

Obama: that I will execute . . .

Roberts: . . . faithfully the office of president of the United States . . .

Obama: the office of president of the United States faithfully . . .

In other words, Obama expected Roberts to pause after "I, Barack Hussein Obama," while the justice intended to add "do solemnly swear" before breaking. It took a few more exchanges before they settled into a rhythm.

Here's the interesting part: Vice President Biden's oath, administered just minutes before by Justice Stevens, contained no pause after the vice-president's name. Review of recent presidential oaths reveals a similarly checkered history.

Bill Clinton didn't pause after his name in either swearing-in. George W. Bush didn't pause after his name in 2001, but he did - as President Obama apparently intended to - in 2005. You'd think, after more than 200 years and 43 presidents, there'd be a protocol for the pause.

Of course, that wasn't all that went wrong. Roberts then led the president astray by misplacing the word "faithfully." That sort of miscue isn't without precedent. In her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, Diana mixed up the order of her husband's names.

Larry Ceisler, a friend and PR pro, offered an interesting take on the "oath pas": "Every kid knows the oath of office. So did Obama. I'm surprised he was even listening to Roberts at that moment. But the fact is that he was, which tells me something about Obama being a listener. That is what actually impressed me about the moment."

He's right. And the speech that followed was appropriate if not entirely memorable, probably the result of unrealistic expectations after a two-year campaign that featured several spellbinding performances.

In my mind, it was the delivery that was really off, which I attribute to the poor introduction.

On a day when every detail is planned, from the driving angle of the presidential limousine to the flourished entrances of political dignitaries, you'd think that the oath itself would have a perfectly scripted protocol. But you'd be wrong. *

Listen to Michael Smerconish weekdays 5-9 a.m. on the Big Talker, 1210/AM. Read him Sundays in the Inquirer. Contact him via the Web at www.mastalk.com.