Rehnquist swears in Bush
Despite cancer, chief justice administers oath for fifth time
 |  Chief Justice William Rehnquist administers the oath to President Bush in front of the Bush family and other onlookers. |
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 President Bush is sworn in by Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Appearing frail from thyroid cancer, Chief Justice William Rehnquist administered the presidential oath of office Thursday, swearing President George W. Bush into his second term.
Bush raised one hand and placed the other on a family Bible as he took the 35-word pledge that is as old as the nation.
Moments before he administered the oath, Rehnquist arrived to a standing ovation from the crowd.
Rehnquist gripped a cane in his right hand as he walked slowly without assistance down to the Capitol stage where Bush took the oath. Rehnquist shook the president's hand, then returned to his seat.
Rehnquist was pale and walked stiffly. He administered the oath in a clear, raspy voice.
Rehnquist wore a black beret, which he took off during the short swearing-in. The chief justice also wore his trademark black robe, with four gold stripes on each sleeve.
One thyroid specialist said it was impossible to determine from Thursday's public appearance how serious the cancer is that Rehnquist suffers from.
"Overall I think the best word is encouraging," said Dr. Kenneth Burman, a specialist at Washington Hospital Center, in a report from The Associated Press. Burman, who is not involved in Rehnquist's treatment, added, "He (Rehnquist) looked quite good in terms of ability to walk, get to the podium."
The Associated Press reported that a scarf hid a tracheotomy tube that was inserted in October to help Rehnquist breathe.
Rehnquist's participation Thursday was a dramatic moment; speculation has grown over the chief justice's health, and when his departure from the nation's highest court might come.
But the Supreme Court confirmed that Rehnquist, who is 80, quietly visited the front of the U.S. Capitol last week to look over preparations for the Inauguration Day ceremony.
"He walked the platform route, consistent with his routine for past inaugurations," a court spokesman said.
Sources said he arrived by wheelchair last week, but walked the Capitol building grounds.
In December, Bush invited the chief justice to administer the oath of office, as Rehnquist has done at every inauguration since 1988.
"He told the president that he'd come and you know, nobody takes their job more seriously than the current chief justice," said Jay Jorgensen, a former Rehnquist clerk.
Rehnquist missed oral arguments this week, and has been absent from the bench since his thyroid cancer was first diagnosed in late October.
In a brief statement January 7, the court cited "continuing secretions caused by his tracheotomy and radiation therapy" for his continued absence. It was the same day Rehnquist marked his 33rd anniversary on the Supreme Court.
The court said he continues to work from home on the court's caseload and his administrative duties, and he has visited his court office several times.
Rehnquist underwent an emergency tracheotomy October 22, a day after being admitted to a Navy hospital outside Washington. The court has said he is receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment on an outpatient basis.
The extent of his illness has not been made public, but medical experts say the type of treatment he has been receiving indicates a serious form of the disease.
Only eight times has a chief justice not administered the oath of office.
Theodore Roosevelt in 1901 and Lyndon Johnson in 1963 were sworn in under such circumstances by other judges. Calvin Coolidge in 1923 was sworn in by his father, a notary public, although a second swearing-in was held later after the validity of the first was questioned.
CNN's Bill Mears contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
