Obama retakes oath

New US President Barack Obama has had a busy start to life in the Oval Office, including being sworn in for a second time. He had to repeat his inaugural oath after Chief Justice John Roberts fluffed his lines in the original ceremony and Mr Obama followed suit. Mr Roberts, who first administered the oath to Mr Obama on Tuesday on the steps of the US Capitol, administered it again to the president on Wednesday in front of reporters and a few members of the president's staff. During the ceremony on the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, Mr Roberts accidentally switched the word order when he administered the oath, saying "I will execute the office of president to the United States faithfully," instead of, "I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States." Mr Obama, who briefly interrupted the chief justice by starting the oath before Mr Roberts finished reciting the first part, then repeated back the line as Mr Roberts had said it. Mr Obama raised his right hand, Mr Roberts administered the oath in the right order, and Mr Obama repeated it correctly. "Congratulations again," the chief justice said after they were finished. "Thank you sir," Mr Obama replied as staff members applauded. One of Mr Obama's first jobs was to call Israeli and Arab leaders to promise "active engagement" in the Arab-Israeli conflict and help in consolidating the Gaza ceasefire. He spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah not long after he stepped into the Oval Office for the first time since his historic inauguration. He also looks poised to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, where the harsh treatment of terrorism suspects under the Bush administration was widely felt to have damaged America's moral standing in the world. Hillary Clinton won overwhelming Senate approval as new US Secretary of State, despite renewed Republican concerns about potential conflicts of interest created by overseas fundraising by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. And Mr Obama held a late afternoon meeting with top economic advisers to try to chart a course out of the worst economic crisis in decades. Treasury Secretary-nominee Timothy Geithner, appearing before a Senate panel for a confirmation hearing, said the government's response would be made in coming weeks. At a televised event to welcome new White House officials, Obama announced he was freezing the pay for senior White House staff and tightening up rules for former lobbyists who work in government.

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ITN | January 22, 2009

Tags:. .olmert. .sworn. .ehud. .oath. .replied