Sarah Palin’s new book, America By Heart: Reflections On Faith, Family and Flag, repeats the debunked myth that George Washington, at his first inauguration, added the phrase “So help me God” to the oath of office. The myth was started by Washington Irving and repeated by Rufus Wilmot Griswold in his 1854 book The Republican Court, or, American Society in the Days of Washington.
Washington Irving told the story of how he was present at the first inauguration.
Submitted by -David Drumm (Nal) — guest editor
However, Irving was barely 6 years old at the time and had observed the proceeding from 200 feet away. There’s no way he could have seen, let alone heard what happened. There is no other report or evidence that George Washington said what Irving claimed.
But that’s enough for Sarah Palin, who is well-known for believing in myths.
Newdow v. Roberts, a federal lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, sought to enjoin the Hon. John Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, from adding the phrase, “So help me God,” to the Presidential oath of office. The dismissal was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit in 2009 as moot, and due to lack of standing for future inaugurations. Roberts did add the phrase, “So help me God” to the end of a flubbed oath.
From Peter R. Henriques, Professor of History, Emeritus, at George Mason University:
One of the most widely held myths about George Washington is that immediately after he took the prescribed oath to become the nation’s first President, he solemnly added the words, “So help me God” and thus began a tradition that has been followed ever since.
…
In fact, an examination of the historical evidence demonstrates that claim [that Washington added the words, “So help me God”] is almost certainly false.
H/T: Talk To Action, Chris Rodda, American Creation, History News Network.
-David Drumm (Nal)
rcampbell’s post: “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”
Love it!
RC,
True that, but I was bored waiting for the second pot of coffee to finish brewing. 😉
Palin knows her audience …
And her audience, like every audience, thinks it is the only one that counts.
As long as they are willing to pay, she will continue to perform.
Eventually a new performer will come on the scene and Palin, like Coulter, will find herself in the wings or serving as the warm-up act.
For audiences, be they conservative or liberal, have one thing in common … they are fickle and grow tired of the same old material.
It’s show biz … just ask Obama
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/04/senate-unemployment-benefits_n_791995.html Palin’s Republican Party filibusters the middle class tax cut and kills the extension of unemployment benefits. Good to see you, Mike.
Buddha
You’re under no obligaton to engage a teabagger Palin apologist in any kind of debate or discussion. That inappropriatelly elevates their insanity to a level of parity with normal people. They, like their matron saint, Sarah, are pond scum and should be treated as such. The appropriate adage in dealing with baggers is: Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.
Gramby,
your belief in Ms. Palin is only a confirmation of your complete misconception of who in the political world has some competence. That you can vote only shows the exemplary tolerance sometimes displayed in the US system. You are not worth debating with simply because you are simply a follower of mythology, who lacks the ability to even inquire to your own surmised premises. discussing anything with you would put the other party in the position of the game of: Nyah, Nyah, Nyah.
“When is someone gonna hold him accountable. I’m not concerned with the past president and I damn sure any worried about the next one, I worried about this one.”
Then you miss the point and the causal factor in all this mess if you don’t want Bush held accountable too. He’s the one who suspended habeas corpus and ordered torture.
That’s your problem: a double standard for criminal unconstitutional behavior.
No one deserves a walk on that and only Neocons or those poisoned by their propaganda think otherwise.
Gramby,
You should look up the meaning of the word “manifest”. Your inability to see the truth is your failure. As to proof of criminal complicity? Bush admitted to high crimes and treason. Any that block his rightful prosecution are aiding and abetting treason. And that would be the majority of Congress at this point in addition to the current President.
As to McCain? Regarding torture, he’s a windbag. John McCain and Bush’s torture powers illustrates exactly how much of a spineless windbag he is on the matter.
Wow! Sarah Palin is at it again. Not only is she unintelligent and uninformed, she has no desire to improve her lot. I guess some like Gamby, are excited about a president who does a great job of writing his/her notes on her hand. Maybe some here are excited at her oratory that is constantly full of half sentences that go nowhere. Her obvous desire is not to be President. She wants to be the wealthiest woman in the country. With that brain I don’t think Oprah has to worry about being number 2. I would welcome a Palin ticket in 2012 because almost any Dem would beat her, even in their current sorry state. The reason why she lost in 2010 wasn’t McCain’s presence on the ticket, it was because of her presence on the ticket.
I find it amusing that nitwits bring partisanship into the discussion when the topic is related to incompetence. Sarah Palin is incompetent and a criminal. Obama is a competent and a criminal. Both suck, but in the spectrum of leadership, competent trumps incompetent every time – gaffes or not.
Yea but Palin does it cause she’s a fuckup and Obama does it cause he’s smart enough to know he can get away with it. Now all we are waiting on is to see how much longer the American people are gonna let him get away with it. When is someone gonna hold him accountable. I’m not concerned with the past president and I damn sure any worried about the next one, I worried about this one.
Things are alot worse than what you think. Wikileaks is just getting started. We need to think of this as a cleansen.
Buddha is Laughing:
“Her criminality is evidenced by her being a politician under the current campaign graft system. If you can’t recognize that, you don’t pay very close attention to national politics and the continues unconstitutional abuses our government is guilty of. This is not a partisan issue. 99% of all the pols in Washington are criminals now as they are almost all complicit in aiding and abetting treason and the ordering of torture. Palin is a puppet to these same criminal interests. Party affiliation is irrelevant.”
I have no idea what you just said here. What exactly do you mean?
Why do you think the government is abusing the Constitution? How do you know that 99% of pols in Washington are criminal? What evidence do you have? I see Charlie Rangle, David Vitter and a couple of others but where is your evidence for the other 98%? (and yes I am aware that 2 is not 2% of 535)
How is Palin a puppet? John McCain is not for torture as far as I know. In fact many pols were against it. Again where is your proof? You are making wild assertions with no basis in fact.
1) Stupid – Every word that comes out of her mouth is evidence.
2) Vapid – She couldn’t name any news that she reads on a regular basis or any other SCOTUS decision than Roe v. Wade.
3) Venal – She quit on her duty to the people of Alaska because she saw money and power to grab.
4) Narcissist – Every word that comes out of her mouth is evidence. She loves herself so much she uses her children as political props.
I don’t necessarily think you’re a Neocon although your beloved Sarah certainly is.
She promotes retrograde concepts like perpetual war, only property owners should be allowed to vote, women shouldn’t be allowed to determine their own health choices regarding abortion even in cases of rape and imposing other “Christian” values on government like abstinence only programs to address teen pregnancy – an approach which scientifically does not work.
I think you’re simply an idiot backing another idiot. Since you asked.
Buddha is Laughing:
“She’s a half-term governor who quit her job and walked away from her oath to serve the people of Alaska for her own personal selfish motives. She’s 1) stupid, 2) vapid, 3) venal, 4) completely self-absorbed to the point of being a narcissist.”
Any proof as to your 4 assertions? Why did she walk away from the governorship? Did the charges have merit? What were the charges? Was she found guilty? How much would it have cost her to defend herself against those charges?
Did she pursue a book deal to make money to defend against the charges?
You speculate a good deal but make no real case for your opinion.
Her incompetence is manifest in her every word and action. If you can’t recognize it, then you’re incompetent too.
Her criminality is evidenced by her being a politician under the current campaign graft system. If you can’t recognize that, you don’t pay very close attention to national politics and the continues unconstitutional abuses our government is guilty of. This is not a partisan issue. 99% of all the pols in Washington are criminals now as they are almost all complicit in aiding and abetting treason and the ordering of torture. Palin is a puppet to these same criminal interests. Party affiliation is irrelevant.
Buddha is Laughing:
“No. I meant exactly modern liberals. Logic and reason never go out of style even if Neocons can’t grasp it through their foggy lust for war profiteering and theocracy.”
Are you assuming I am a neo-con? Using reason and logic again to figure that out?
Your reason and logic suck if you have “deduced” my political orientation to be neo-con.
Logic is only good if the premises from which you work are correct. And reason only works if you have the requisite amount of gray matter required for cogent thought.
You seem like a bright fellow so I will assume you operate from a faulty premise.
That word you keep using, spectacle, you really shouldn’t use words you don’t know the meaning of.
So far the only spectacle Palin has proven capable of is as an object of curiosity or contempt.
She’s a half-term governor who quit her job and walked away from her oath to serve the people of Alaska for her own personal selfish motives. She’s 1) stupid, 2) vapid, 3) venal, 4) completely self-absorbed to the point of being a narcissist.
She’s not even qualified for reality television let alone public office.
But you keep dreaming. She not only annoys independents, but moderate conservatives as well. Without those two groups, she has no chance of election absent fraud or SCOTUS simply appointing her King, er, President like they did that criminal asshat Bush.
But don’t worry! She’ll have a low rated talk show soon enough.
Buddha is Laughing:
“Sarah Palin is incompetent and a criminal.”
any proof? Since you are into reason and logic.
I don’t know, looks like she did pretty good to me. If you haven’t noticed, most of the loses are in states that would vote democratic in any event.
The 3 west coast states and New York, New Jersey, MA, Maine, CN, RI, VT, MD, WI. Those are about the only states voting left that you can count on in a presidential election next time around. Unless of course the idiot republicans get in bed with the Obama Administration and take the “advice” of leftist pundits.
Total electoral votes – 207 (and I even threw in Michigan but that is probably generous after this years election)
278 are needed to win. 538 are available.
Remember some dems ran as Reagan republicans this year, think Joe Manchin in West Virginia.
So yes it is going to be a grand spectacle.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/palin_tracker/
I find it amusing that nitwits bring partisanship into the discussion when the topic is related to incompetence. Sarah Palin is incompetent and a criminal. Obama is a competent and a criminal. Both suck, but in the spectrum of leadership, competent trumps incompetent every time – gaffes or not.
I personally find it amusing at the treatment of Gaffes,
Palin v Obama. When Obama makes a gaffe it’s treated as a mistake and when Palin does it they treat it differently.
Here’s some examples of Obama.
“UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.” –attempting to make the case for government-run healthcare, while simultaneously undercutting his own argument, Portsmouth, N.H., Aug. 11, 2009
“What I was suggesting — you’re absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith…” –in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, who jumped in to correct Obama by saying “your Christian faith,” which Obama quickly clarified
Video http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=politicalhumor&cdn=entertainment&tm=251&f=00&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DbMUgNg7aD8M
“Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s. It will be a strong friend of Israel’s under a McCain…administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel’s under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change.” –Amman, Jordan, July 22, 2008
“I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances.” –after saying he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepared to take office, Washington, D.C., Nov. 7, 2008 (Obama later called Nancy Reagan to apologize)
“We’re not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that’s fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money. But, you know, part of the American way is, you know, you can just keep on making it if you’re providing a good product or providing good service. We don’t want people to stop, ah, fulfilling the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow our economy.” —on Wall Street reform, Quincy, Ill., April 29, 2010
“I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.” — defending his tax plan to Joe the Plumber, who argued that Obama’s policy hurts small-business owners like himself, Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 12, 2008
“I’ve now been in 57 states — I think one left to go.” –at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon
and my favorite
“In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed.” –on a Kansas tornado that killed 12 people