Ummm... whom, exactly, became President at noon Eastern today?

[Little-Acorn]

George W. Bush's presidential term ended at noon exactly. But Barry wasn't sworn in until 12:05:45 by my watch. Being an engineer geek, I keep that watch closely synchronized to NIST time, within a few seconds. So for a little more than five minutes, it looks like the United States didn't have a President.

Biden was sworn in a minute or so before noon. So he was officially VP when the clock struck noon. Did he automatically become President at noon, since no one else was?

[KSigMason]

No matter if he had been officially sworn in the President-elect is automatically President. So at Noon EST Barack Obama was President? Has every President sworn in at exactly noon? Probably not.

[DannyR]

Constitution says the term starts right at noon. The Oath is the first act as president, but Obama was already president when he swore it.


Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

[Merlin]

As of noon yesterday we ceased to have a President. Some people will call obama President for a while until he shows his true muslim colors. I have been putting my American Flag up for quite a while, but now it is upside down and at half mast and will stay that way until it either rots down or obama is out of office.

[Yurt]

Constitution says the term starts right at noon. The Oath is the first act as president, but Obama was already president when he swore it.

not necessarily and seems obama's attorney advised him to do it again...

Obama takes presidential oath again after stumble

WASHINGTON – After the flub heard around the world, President Barack Obama has taken the oath of office. Again. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the oath to Obama on Wednesday night at the White House — a rare do-over. The surprise moment came in response to Tuesday's much-noticed stumble, when Roberts got the words of the oath a little off, which prompted Obama to do so, too.

Don't worry, the White House says: Obama has still been president since noon on Inauguration Day.

Nevertheless, Obama and Roberts went through the drill again out of what White House counsel Greg Craig called "an abundance of caution."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_oath_do_over;_ylt=Ato7zPodOmHNDDHrDg4fOMEEtb AF