Text of Presidential Oath?

[pippin]

Could someone remind me of the oath of office presidentss make at the inauguration--when he places his hand on the Bible? If * is the christian he and his supporters claim he is I'd like them to be reminded of what his "christian" obligations are to the people of NO. An oath is a contract is it not? Or do promises, contracts and oaths have no more meaning these days?

This is a president who has commited a dereliction of duty both on legal and religious grounds and Americans simply cannot let this go.

[davepc]

1. Article II. Section 1 of the Constitution of the United States:

Clause 8: Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"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."

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Yeah, right... nothing about protecting the people.

[davepc]

4. Well, Consitutuonally..the president has very limited powers

Section. 2.

Clause 1: The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

Clause 2: He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

Clause 3: The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Thats it. Thats ALL the power the president is given by the Constitution. Everything else rests with the legislature.

Except over time the legislature has defaulted its powers to the president and abdicated their own responsibilities.

Since the House (and later the Senate) are supposed to be the peoples Representatives, and are *supposed* to have more power in the function of the government, we basically are not operating at all in a manner envisioned by the founders.

When they said Of, For, and By the People, they weren't talking about one indirectly elected mini-dictator in charge of a vast bureaucratic empire.

If we actually had government according to the Constitution, more power would rest with the states and the Congress, and thus be more directly responsible to the people they represent.

Instead we have a pseudo CEO who runs the goverment like a corporation with a rubber stamp board of trustees and control of 51% of the shares.

But now I'm talking like an anti-federalist, and thats very un-Democratic of me. :/

[malaise]

3. All I know is that fugger

is supposed to be Commander in Chief and according to the CNN army analyst, not a damn thing was coordinated in advance of this anticipated disaster. Fuck Bush!! Now they send home some Louisiana soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The lies told to the American people to start the war in Iraq, the total dereliction of duty in this catastrophe and his incoherent babbling on the subject should be enough to haul his sorry ass in front of a firing squad without blindfolds (and I don't support capital punishment).

This is what happens when neo-con civilians seize control of a national army. Fuck George Bush!! Fuck Cheney! Fuck Rumsfeld, Fuck Rice - fuck all of them.

They will pay - they will not escape this time. They are collectively fucked.