Posted on 05/19/2006 1:24:24 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
HOUSTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush has long opposed making English the country's national language, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on Friday, the day after the Senate voted to do so.
The vote came in an amendment to proposed legislation overhauling U.S. immigration law and directed the government to "preserve and enhance" the role of English. Opponents said it could affect the status of some multilingual services offered by government organizations.
Adding to the confusion, the Senate also adopted a softer amendment calling English the "unifying language" of the United States. Senators take both versions into negotiations over a final bill with the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gonzales did not directly address Bush's position on the controversial amendment because the Senate has not yet voted on the whole bill. But he said that Bush has in the past rejected such efforts.
"The president has never supported making English the national language," Gonzales said after meeting with state and local officials in Texas to discuss cooperation on enforcement of immigration laws.
He said Bush has instead long supported a concept called "English-Plus," believing that it was good to be proficient in more than one language.
"English represents freedom in our country and anybody who wants to be successful in our country has a much better chance of doing so if they speak English," Gonzales said. "It is of course a common language."
But, Gonzales said, "I don't see the need to have laws or legislation that says English is the national language."
While visiting Arizona on Thursday to press his plan to send up to 6,000 National Guard troops to the Mexican border spoke of the need to unite Americans.
"We've got to honor the great American tradition of the melting pot," Bush said. "Americans are bound together by shared ideals and appreciation of our history, of respect for our flag and ability to speak the English language."
Intervening in a recent furor over a Spanish-language version of the national anthem released by Latin pop stars, Bush said that the "Star-Spangled Banner" should be sung in English.
The United States currently has no official language and the amendment was showing signs of further inflaming an already incendiary issue, with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada calling it "racist."
LOL! It took me a minute to understand the Part D, but I got it and LOL!!!!
Oops!
I believe GWB's opposition is to English as an "official" language. Big difference between official and national.
He even straddled the fence back then. Bilingual programs have been proven at holding kids back from learning English. He was being noncommittal.
See my #239.
True. I usually stay clear of immigration threads. Very ugly and disrespectful posters.
I heard on the news that he said he did support it. Before jumping on the bash Bush bandwagon, why don't we try to ascertain the truth?
Last conservative out please turn off the lights.
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Now that is a tagline!
Yep. The Prez gets the shiv. Covered in glorious MSM technicolor.
Maybe this all just a big misunderstanding because someone at the WH failed to use 'linguistic precision' [the new WH buzzword, even newer than 'comprehensive immigration plan'].
You are assuming that he couldn't misspeak. But it doesn't really matter. You believe that Bush is a jerk and nothing else really matters.
You signed up in '98. According to current theories, you're a troll that has waited 8 years so you can trash the President. That's the only logical explanation!!!!11111!!!1111!!!!
Boy these things get parsed quick.
"The idea that he'd waltz in front of a microphone and start talking out of his @$$ on such a sensitive matter is comical."
Which makes him talking out of his clymer at this juncture such a strange event.
It already is the national language. It should be the official national language!
The reason he opposes it is that he isn't entirely comfortable speaking it. He mangles Spanish, too, I've heard. Languages have no hold on him.
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