Frail Rehnquist Gives Oath

Looking frail but determined, his voice strained from thyroid cancer, Chief Justice William Rehnquist emerged from months of seclusion to swear in President Bush.

The 80-year-old Rehnquist managed a weak smile as he walked with a cane and took his place on the podium. A scarf around his neck appeared to slip, exposing a tracheotomy tube that helps him breathe.

Rehnquist has been shrouded in mystery since October, when he issued a statement saying he had cancer and dropped out of sight as he underwent treatment.

Many were skeptical that he would be well enough to administer the oath, but after Bush and other leaders took their place on the Capitol stage, the chief justice emerged and walked gingerly down a flight of stairs to join them.

His first public appearance in three months was brief. He administered the oath in a clear but raspy voice very different from his usual deep-pitched speech. It was the fifth and very likely last time he will swear in a president.

CBS' Mark Knoller reports Mr. Bush wrote Rehnquist asking him to do the honors more than a month ago - and Rehnquist agreed.

"That was an incredibly moving part of the ceremony," Bush said later.

Rehnquist's court colleagues, looking serious, watched from just a few feet away.

He has missed Supreme Court sessions for the past three months while receiving chemotherapy and radiation. During that time, he mainly has worked from his home in suburban Virginia. But he announced more than a month ago that he planned to administer the oath and he made good on that.

Rehnquist clutched a cane in his right hand as he walked slowly and without assistance down to the stage where Bush was sworn in.

His gaunt appearance surprised people who know him well.

"I was heartened to see him out, impressed by his dedication to his job. But I was sobered to see him and to hear his voice," said Richard Garnett, a former Rehnquist clerk who teaches law at Notre Dame. "In my mind, the chief justice is such a strong and vigorous person."

Rehnquist wore his trademark black robe, with four gold stripes on each sleeve, and a black beret, which he took off during the swearing-in.

Rehnquist has been chief justice since 1986. If he had been unable to participate it would have been only the ninth time in history the chief justice did not administer the oath.