More on the Spanish National Anthem, Bush’s “Spanish Fluency”, and the Immigration Debate, or Is this for Real?

From the Washington Post:

The Bush mythology is full of convenient little fictions — like the one that he speaks Spanish fluently.

The president delights in injecting a phrase or two of Spanish into a speech or photo opportunity. And over the years, the misconception that he is proficient in the language has spread far and wide, and even crept into some credulous news stories. But suddenly, it’s not so convenient. Bush critics are accusing him of hypocrisy for publicly opposing the singing of the national anthem in Spanish — when he allegedly did it himself during his presidential campaign.

So as part of the attempt to swat that story down, the White House itself is calling attention to Bush’s foreign-language shortcomings.

“I’m saying that not only was that suggestion absurd, but that he couldn’t possibly sing the national anthem in Spanish. He’s not that good with his Spanish,” press secretary Scott McClellan said yesterday. “The president speaks Spanish, but not that well.”

For the full story, click here.

KJ