Mistake In Oath-Taking Prompts President Obama To Hold Second Swearing-In Ceremony

January 22, 2009 6:48 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - A mistake during President Barack Obama's historic swearing-in ceremony prompted the White House to redo the oath-taking Wednesday night.

Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president before 1.5 million people outside the Capitol. His oath-taking, delayed by some minutes and marred by a mistake by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, is believed to be the most watched inauguration in history.

The chief justice administered the oath again to the President at 7:35 pm ET in the map room of the White House, according to a pool report released by the White House. No television cameras were there to witness the event, but the White House released a photo of Obama taking his second oath.

White House Counsel Greg Craig also issued a statement saying, "We believe that the oath of office was administered effectively and that the President was sworn in appropriately yesterday. But the oath appears in the Constitution itself. And out of an abundance of caution, because there was one word out of sequence, Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath a second time."

Some pundits have said the redo was not necessary, since the Constitution clearly states that a president officially cedes his office to his successor at noon on the 20th of January.