Joe Biden has another blunder to add to his highlight reel.
During the swearing-in of Republican Mark Kirk, the man elected to fill Obama's former seat in the Senate, Biden blew it.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Joe Biden, the gaffe-prone vice president, strayed from tradition Monday at the swearing-in of Republican Mark Kirk, the new senator from Illinois.
Biden, who is president of the Senate, began by instructing Kirk: "Please place your right hand on the Bible."
Kirk, a Republican, did as instructed, putting his right hand on the Good Book and raising his left.
Oops. Here's guidance from "Traditions of the United States Senate," by Richard Baker, the Senate historian from 1975 to 2009: "Senators-elect affirm their oath to defend the U.S. Constitution by stepping forward, raising their right hand, and repeating the words spoken by the presiding officer. Some carry in their left hand a personal Bible or other sacred text."
Elizabeth Alexander, Biden's spokeswoman, said Tuesday there's no do-over in the works. "We've checked with the Senate parliamentarian, and he's told us that whether Senator Kirk held up his left or right hand is of no consequence and has no bearing on his status as a sitting senator," she said.
Kirk's swearing-in was re-enacted immediately afterward in the ornate Old Senate Chamber, where still cameras are allowed (unlike on the Senate floor, where the oath was recorded on video). Kirk, on his second try, got it right.
Kirk got it right on his second try?
This was Biden's fault. That should read: "Biden, on his second try, got it right."
God love ya, champ!
Video.
Way to go, Joe!
Draw attention to Mark Kirk, REPUBLICAN U.S. senator from Illinois.
Obama's home state rejected his party and elected a Republican.
The Old Media have been silent on that significant change in Illinois' political landscape.
You can be sure that if a Democrat had been elected governor of Texas during President Bush's time in the Oval Office, the Old Media would have been all over the story, non-stop.
Maybe Biden was so flustered about swearing in Kirk, REPUBLICAN, that he screwed up right and left.
Or maybe it was just another daily Biden blunder.
No comments:
Post a Comment