Sometimes political ceremonies produce some really weird grip-and-grins, like this photo re-enacting today’s swearing-in in Washington DC of newly elected Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
For the record, the vice president — as president of the Senate — swears in the newbies regardless of what the new senator has said about the veep.
And for the record, from left to right in the photo, that’s Merkley; his wife Mary Sorteberg; their children Brynne and Jonathan; and of course, the Prince of Darkness. Cheney shouldn’t be bitching either about this duty. His predecessors have suffered far worse indignitites.
- A Whole New Twist on the Kitchen Cabinet Sen. Hill
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- U.S. Senate Candidate Jeff Merkley and Oregon’s Thorny Tradition of Nepotism U.S. Sena
Merkley’s spokeswoman Julie Edwards says Merkley used one of Thomas Jefferson’s Bibles in his real swearing-in ceremony:
"He requested a Bible from the Library of Congress
That really is interesting choice, especially if Merkley is a student of Jefferson. He had a penchant for editing the Bible. In particular he would line out certain chapters or books that he felt were the fantasmagoric indulgences of early christian writers. As I recall from the last biography that I read he felt the true Bible could be distilled down to about three books of the new testament.
Does Merkley agree or was this just pure Jeffersonian symbolism devoid of religious expression? Let the right wing chew on that one for awhile.
Brian: key word in your piece is "felt". As in "those he FELT were the fantasmagoric indulgences"… no different, no better or worse, from those who "feel" otherwise…