Inauguration Day Fun Facts: Flubbed Oaths, Dead Birds and Weird Hats

As far as the Constitution is concerned, all Barack Obama needs to do Monday before "he enters on the execution of his office" is take a 35-word oath and call it day. No Bible, no speech, no parade, no ball. That legally an inauguration starts with "I do solemnly swear" and ends with "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States," however, fails to capture the majesty of the moment, the continuity of American democracy and the singular importance of a tradition that began 220 years...Full Story