President-elect Obama says he plans to use all three of his names when he takes the oath of office in January, giving voice to an unusual name that was rarely heard during the campaign expect by critics.
In his first post-election newspaper interview, with reporters from the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times, Obama was asked: “Do you anticipate being sworn in as Barack Obama or Barack Hussein Obama?”
He replied: “I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition, not trying to make a statement one way or the other. I’ll do what everybody else does.”
In fact, all presidents have not used their middle names when taking the oath of office. Jimmy Carter famously went as “Jimmy Carter.” Ronald Wilson Reagan took the oath as simply “Ronald Reagan.”
Harry Truman, of course, didn’t have a middle name – just an initial that didn’t stand for anything — and was sworn in as “Harry S. Truman.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford took the oath using their middle initials.
The last three presidents have used their middle names: George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton and George Walker Bush. So did Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Lyndon Baines Johnson, in the hasty ceremony aboard Air Force One, went nameless — prompted to say only, “I do solemnly swear.”
The insertion of the name is a tradition not specified in the U.S. Constitution, which directs about the president in Article II: “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.’”
Obama’s middle name was largely taboo during the campaign, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) apologized it was used by Bill Cunningham, a talk-radio host who was introducing McCain at a rally in Cincinnati.
The Associated Press reported at the time, “Asked whether the use of Obama’s middle name — the same as former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein — is proper, McCain said: ‘No, it is not. Any comment that is disparaging of either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama is totally inappropriate.’”
(Source: Politico)
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18 Responses
I think you meant “Except by critics”, not “Expect by critics”.
The most mention of the name Hussein during the campaign was by Obama and his staff. Remember his comments, “They’re gonna try to scare you. ‘He doesn’t look like the other presidents on the dollar bill. He has a funny name’ “.
i agree (obviously!) with the statement by McCain, not to “disparage”, but it’s the guy’s name! How is using your own name an insult? it’s very unfortunate, politically, that that is what his parents named him, but noone knew then, that Hussein would become such a “bad” name. Leave the guy alone! Saddam is dead, his country is in shambles, and Obama is the next president to try his hand!
Am I the only one that thinks that his pose looks a bit silly?
like i said once in the coffeeroom during the campaign, that if the (goyishe) oylam would have had it drilled in their heads that his middle name is hussein, there probably would have been a different 44th prez. (i referred then to the google results of “barack obama” (101,000,000 results), and “barack hussein obama” which only yielded 1,810,000 results)
it’s all a matter of PR, and mccain has nothing to apologize for
Re: Anonymous
How else do you want him to pose?
I found the headline a bit misleading. I thought thought he literally said those words!!!
Of course, how else will he have any respect from the Arab world?
am I the only one who wants to give the guy a chance? (please don’t respond with a barrage of negative stuff; it’s all been said.)
I wonder what the comments on this site will be if Obama turns out to be a competent President who truly does good things. How many of his vilifying critics will be big enough to admit misjudging him?
It’s his name. Should we not introduce ourselves as Zechariah Tzvi if that’s our name because what people will think?
# 10 — I disagree big time…He shouldve changed his name a long time ago and dropped the Hussein, since he claims he is not a muslim anyway…
I believe that in 1981, President Reagan used his full name (Ronald Wilson Reagan) but not in 1985.
This is absurd. The fact his middle name is like that of Saddam Hussein and people are feeling threatened for that reason alone, is laughable. Too many people are acting like babies. His middle name is Hussein. So what? Yes, it’s a bad name. How many of us with middle names like our middle name, anyway?
Hussein was a legitimate name long before Sadam – Haven’t you people something more substantive to worry about? I mean, do you expect all Yidden named Herman to change their name because of Goering? Get a life.
# 11 – justsmile613 – I looked at Wikipedia to find the names of executed Nazi war criminals. Based on information I learned, and consistant with your principles, I urge that all Yidden with the following names need to change them:
Edmund, Arthur, Paul, Therese, Maria, Irma, Elisabeth, Martin, Henry, Alfred, Julius, Joseph (Sorry old boy – you’re gonna have to change your name), Albert and Alexander.
“Harpo” Marx’s original first name was Adolf. He changed it to Arthur in the 1940’s.
#17 Don’t forget about Joseph Stalin. He killed many more people than Saddam Hussein.
A bi mi leibt. Obama will have Jews in his cabinet. I am sure someone will come up with an eitzah!