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Bush opposes English as national language: Gonzales (AG says Bush supports 'English-Plus' concept)
Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 5/19/06 | Dan Whitcomb

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."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: aliens; borders; bush; concept; english; englishplus; gonzales; language; nationallanguage; opposes
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Comment #241 Removed by Moderator

To: ImpBill
I bought Part D and moved from Dog food to Campbell's Beannie Weannies. Life is good.

LOL! It took me a minute to understand the Part D, but I got it and LOL!!!!

242 posted on 05/19/2006 2:22:25 PM PDT by yellowdoghunter (I sometimes only vote for Republicans because they are not Democrats....by Dr. Thomas Sowell)
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To: Crawdad

Oops!


243 posted on 05/19/2006 2:22:29 PM PDT by durasell (!)
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To: Junior_G

I believe GWB's opposition is to English as an "official" language. Big difference between official and national.


244 posted on 05/19/2006 2:22:35 PM PDT by Don'tMessWithTexas
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To: debg
Whether a school uses an immersion program or a bilingual program, whichever effectively teaches children to read and comprehend English as quickly as possible, I will support.

He even straddled the fence back then. Bilingual programs have been proven at holding kids back from learning English. He was being noncommittal.

245 posted on 05/19/2006 2:22:39 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
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To: Dane

See my #239.


246 posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:22 PM PDT by Don'tMessWithTexas
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To: Dane

True. I usually stay clear of immigration threads. Very ugly and disrespectful posters.


247 posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:36 PM PDT by Republican Red ("How good is it? Al-Jazeera gave it 4 1/2 pipe bombs")
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To: NormsRevenge

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?


248 posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:38 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: teletech

Last conservative out please turn off the lights.

---

Now that is a tagline!


249 posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:43 PM PDT by Harrius Magnus (Enemy #1 = The Leftist holy trinity of multiculturalism, moral equivalence and relativism.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Yep. The Prez gets the shiv. Covered in glorious MSM technicolor.


250 posted on 05/19/2006 2:23:56 PM PDT by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: NormsRevenge

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'].


251 posted on 05/19/2006 2:24:38 PM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Sir Gawain
English-only says to me that if Hispanic happens to be your heritage, you’re not part of the process.

How insufferably dense! What if your heritage is German, Irish, Italian, et al? Would you be excluded from the process if English were to be our official language? This is insane! I doubt if any other group would oppose English as the official language of the US. And English only is a misnomer because no other language would be banned. But English would be the language in which government affairs and business must be conducted, which is only than common sense.
252 posted on 05/19/2006 2:24:43 PM PDT by luvbach1 (More true now than ever: Near the belly of the beast in San Diego)
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To: Junior_G

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.


253 posted on 05/19/2006 2:24:56 PM PDT by Don'tMessWithTexas
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To: Dr.Syn
"Never trust a Yalie. Look at how out of touch his father was. They truly are elitists."

EVER CONSIDER WE MIGHT BE BETTER OFF IF WE HAD A LAW THAT IVY LEAGERS AND GRADUATES OF OTHER ELITE INSTITUTIONS COULDN'T SEEK AND OFFICE HIGHER THAN COUNCILPERSON?
254 posted on 05/19/2006 2:25:38 PM PDT by BW2221
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To: ImpBill

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!!!!


255 posted on 05/19/2006 2:25:50 PM PDT by Sir Gawain
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To: debg
Bilingual education, by definition, is not immersion in English!
256 posted on 05/19/2006 2:25:58 PM PDT by luvbach1 (More true now than ever: Near the belly of the beast in San Diego)
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To: Don'tMessWithTexas
I believe GWB's opposition is to English as an "official" language. Big difference between official and national.

Boy these things get parsed quick.

257 posted on 05/19/2006 2:26:38 PM PDT by Junior_G
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To: Steel Wolf

"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.


258 posted on 05/19/2006 2:26:40 PM PDT by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
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To: Don'tMessWithTexas

It already is the national language. It should be the official national language!


259 posted on 05/19/2006 2:27:19 PM PDT by luvbach1 (More true now than ever: Near the belly of the beast in San Diego)
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To: NormsRevenge

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.


260 posted on 05/19/2006 2:27:20 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine (Is /sarc really needed?)
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