Como Se Dice? Obama Clarifies Comments Over Foreign Languages

[Hope And Change]

Como Se Dice? Obama Clarifies Comments Over Foreign Languages

July 11, 2008 1:22 PM

ABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: Sen. Barack Obama reiterated his belief Friday that America’s children to learn a foreign language, firing back against criticism he received from some conservative groups who suggested the Illinois senator wanted to make the United States a bilingual country.

Speaking in Powder Springs, GA on Tuesday Obama told the crowd that it’s embarrassing when Europeans come to the US and they all speak English. By comparison, Obama said, America’s young people do not have matching language skills.

“All we can say is merci beacoup,” Obama said. “We should be emphasizing foreign languages in our schools from an early age.”

The statements prompted outrage from some conservative groups who argued his remarks were an endorsement of the idea that Americans should be forced to learn Spanish. Americans for Legal Immigration PAC posted Obama’s comments on their website with the headline: “Voters Reject Obama’s Call for Bilingualism.”

At a town hall in Dayton, Ohio the presumptive Democratic nominee attempted to explain his statements, blasting the interpretation of his original remarks.

Obama brought it up while speaking about how the Bush administration's "No Child Left Behind" education policy has forced schools to cut programs like foreign languages.

“I said something the other day down in Georgia, and the Republicans jumped on this. I said, you know, absolutely immigrants need to learn English, but we also need to learn foreign languages,” he said Friday.


more...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/como-se-dice-ob.html

[ellacott]

1. It's amazing how stupid people can be

What he said makes sense. Children need to learn a second language.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. The resistance to other languages in this country is truly bizarre.

English Only is like a religion to some people. And they can barely speak it themselves!

[ellacott]

6. So true

I heard a radio caller this morning saying that English is the universal language and it's ok that the whole world knows English.

Some people feel the whole world should cater to us and we shouldn't care about any other cultures.

[Diamonique]

2. I knew what he was saying all along.

Leave it to the Rethugs to purposely misinterpret his words and attack him for it.

[Pirate Smile]

4. There was never any real confusion - only idiots trying to score points with other idiots.

[Xipe Totec]

5. My public school has a French immersion program

children can be taught, first grade through 12, entirely in French.

One of the reasons cited when my home town was ranked as one of the best places to live in America.

[CTyankee]

7. You must be up there in the People's Republic of Massachusetts.

Them folks speak French, just like that John Kerry guy who ate Swiss cheese on his sandwiches!

[Xipe Totec]

9. C'est moi, mon ami!

And I work in the People's Republic of Cambridge

:rofl:

[CTyankee]

10. Uh oh, well then. As a citizen of the People's Republic of New Haven,

I must repeat "You can always tell a Harvard man, but you can't tell him much."

Sorry, you know how it is with first husbands...

[Xipe Totec]

12. You're going to Yale for that...

:rofl:

[CTyankee]

13. Not me. I'm must quoting an old saw.

I live in New Haven but I am not attached to Yale. I think the whole Yale-Harvard thing is ridiculous. My ex husband seems to think that Harvard is sacrosanct. I personally don't give a crap about Yale and resent being cast by him as a Yalie merely because in I live in New Haven. Kinda stupid, if you ask me...

[rinsd]

8. Free Trade Global Economy needed out of 1 side of the mouth, no to foreign language out the other.

Its the Republican way.

[Toucano]

11. A person who speaks three languages is called trilingual.

A person who speaks two languages is called bilingual.

A person who speaks one language is called an American.

:rofl:

FORCE them Georgians to lurn ta speak Mexican!