SOTU--REVIEWING THE "OATH"

Tonight, during the State of the Union speech, seated before the president will be hundreds of people. The majority of these people have a couple things in common. One, they are federal officials; two, all took an oath prior to assuming their positions.

All 535 members of congress will be there, save a Kennedy in rehab or an ailing Robert Byrd. After being elected to the 111th congress in November 2008--full house plus one-third of the senate--all took the following oath in January 2009:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

After what you've seen this country go through over the past year, do you really feel that the members of congress have lived up to their sworn duty? My opinion: no. Not even a close call.

As the president reads to us, think about the oath. Think about your congressional member(s). To some, the oath is simply a formality, words; to others, it has real meaning. Lincoln thought the oath so important, he expanded it.

Will there be any congressional outbursts during the president's read? I don't know. I doubt it. Joe Wilson just said on Cavuto that he'd behave himself. Apparently Joe got his mind right. However, in millions of living rooms this evening, there will be loud outbursts. I'm not sure if they'll be outbursts of laughter or anger. Probably both. In my case, both.

Again, the 111th congress took the oath of office in January 2009. Here's Speaker Pelosi administering it. BTW, do you play BINGO?: