Bush's Spanish "not that good": spokesman (re: singing anthem)

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday disputed an account of President George W. Bush singing the U.S. national anthem in Spanish during the 2000 presidential campaign, saying his Spanish is not that good.
Critics have accused Bush of hypocrisy for opposing a Spanish language version of the anthem.

They pointed to a book called "American Dynasty" by Kevin Phillips, who wrote that Bush "would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in Spanish."

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the assertion did not ring true to him because, "The president speaks Spanish, but not that well."

"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," McClellan said.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=12069368&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

[Spazito]

1. Oh.....oh my....

I thought I had already seen the epitome of stupid lying excuses but I was wrong, this one tops them all so far.

[wryter2000]

6. Oh, come on

It's funny. Really, really funny! :rofl:

I hope Colbert finds out about this.

[Spazito]

11. I agree, it is absolutely priceless!

It took me a bit of time to stop laughing before I could settle down to type my post, lol.

[central scrutinizer]

25. the old low expectations ploy again

Get out the shovel, we need to lower the bar again.

[Renew Deal]

28. Someone found audio of Bush speaking the espanol.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1100694

[Spazito]

31. Thanks for the link! Pathetic lies exposed YET AGAIN!

Oh how I LOVE the internet, it is the equivalent of a very effective lie detector!

[mr_hat]

2. Bush's "English not that good" either.

[Fridays Child]

15. Exactly. He certainly doesn't mind bungling his native language.

I can't wait for the home video that someone inevitably shot at one of those events where he bungled the national anthem in Spanish.

[0007]

46. True

[ShortnFiery]

3. This is a little off-topic, but where's our Snow Job?

Isn't Snotty Scotty supposed to be history?

Es Verdad. Que pasa Antonio?

Donde esta To-ny Snow? :P

[goclark]

36. No esta aqui LOL

[displacedtexan]

4. The old "Better to be stupid than caught" defense!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. They seem to use that one a lot. n/t

[flobee1]

5. He speaks

English too!

but not too well.....

[gratuitous]

7. But I thought Bush was all intercontinental!

Has it really been just four years since Little Lord Pissypants got all, well, pissy with David Gregory for speaking French, and had to show off his "command" of Spanish?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/05/31/nmed31.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/05/31/ixhome.html

Yes, just four short years.

[tanyev]

16. Yeah, I thought he was practically bilingualistic.

[XNASA]

8. And McClellan, apparently, is.....

"Not that GOOD with his English" either.

Good grief.

[Rose Siding]

18. "He couldn't hadda done it. He sucks"

:rofl:

Points added as he runs to Tancredo's arms: I never knew you!

[onenote]

10. sounds plausible

I certainly wouldn't expect chimpy to know how to say "land of the free" or "home of the brave" in any language.

onenote

[Ilsa]

12. I bet his rendition of the anthem in English isn't correct either.

If he was participating in the singing of the anthem in Spanish, even if he could barely get a few words out, he was condoning it, this time for campaign purposes. He can't flip-flop on this without looking hypocritical.

[lutefisk]

13. He could have learned it phonetically, like ABBA

Besides, doesn't he learn his speeches phonetically? His inappropriate emphasis on words and bizarre pronunciations sure make it seem so...

edit: The WH should put an end to all this speculation by simply releasing a tape of Presidente Bush attempting to sing the U.S. national anthem in Spanish so we can all, as his loyal subjects, judge for ourselves if it's really all that bad. I'd like to see that.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Wait a minute, this linguist and singer calls bullshit on McClellan

It's quite possible to sing in a language that you don't speak. I've sung with three different Eastern European folk music ensembles, and I've sung in Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Polish, Albanian, Hungarian, and Rumanian, none of which I speak, and all of which are much harder to pronounce than Spanish.

During the 2000 campaign, we kept hearing about how "fluent" El Arbusto's Spanish was, although the TV clips of him speaking on Spanish television did not seem fluent at all, more like someone reading a speech phonetically with a strong American accent.

[ShortnFiery]

19. I agree ...

Excuse my less educated, little league support example but anyone who's heard the Scorpion's lead singer talk English would find it hard to believe that he sings those ballads in English so well.

No disrespect, but during the ole' Monsters of Rock Concerts, this guy addressed the audience and we all had that "confused puppy dog looks" on our faces to realize that this seemingly less than fluent german accented guy was the same guy singing those awesome songs *en english*! :P

Yes, I've noted that truism you have suggested above.

Nope Georgie Boy has been busted! :woohoo:

But since we have no free national-type press in the USA, he'll slither away unchallenged yet again. :(

[mikeytherat]

30. Ah, good ol' Klaus Meine

"He's uh bah-la frum ze new album call 'Steel Luh-weng Yooooooo."
("Here's a ballad from the new album called 'Still Loving You'")

mikey_the_rat

[ShortnFiery]

34. Yes! That's it! You've got the sound down pat. :P

I must say though that Klaus Meine's voice is beautiful and "The Scorpions" is one of the best rock bands I've ever heard live. It's rare that a band is so talented that their live performances are as sweet as those carefully combed over within the studio.

Si, Viva Klaus Meine and da Scorpions. :toast:

[Mythsaje]

41. Absolutely true...

I've never seen the scorps live, but their live albums are pretty true to form.

[kskiska]

32. Connie Francis made a career of it

She recorded her albums in scores of languages she didn't speak. She made a lot of dough with it, too.

[unblock]

17. remember in 2000 when they were boasting that he could speak spanish?

they were making as if he could negotiate treaties with mexico in spanish and those of us who knew better were saying he only knew enough spanish to buy booze, coke, and hookers.

[drm604]

20. We really need to track down a videotape,

or at least some good eyewitnesses.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2602625

[ShortnFiery]

21. Do you realize that your post may have made our Agent Mike

notify all * lackeys to scour all WH video recordings on this issue? "Toute suite!" cries out Rove as he slaps them with is trusty riding crop.

Too good. :hi:

[Renew Deal]

22. I thought Generalisimo Bush was great with the spanish,

Especially in 2000.

[LibertyLover]

38. Yeah, he was, but

9/11 changed everything.

[sendero]

23. Neither is his English..

...so that is hardly a surprise :)

[Warpy]

24. I heard one of his performances during the 2000 campaign

He screwed up the NUMBERS. Anyone who has any nodding acquaintaince with a second language knows the numbers are the second thing you always learn, right after the profanity.

He's a consistent moron in whatever language he's mangling.

[tolumnia]

26. *'s Spanish

I saw an interview several months ago on Charlie Rose with a Mexican journalist, who said that * liked to think he spoke Spanish, but that he really could not carry on a conversation in Spanish. He also said that * would be the last American president who did not speak Spanish.

We like to say that * is bi-illiterate.

[Rose Siding]

27. There's also a history of fawning puffery about him being "fluent"

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2006_04_30_atrios_archive.html#114675698298094608

But I've heard the same as what you heard on Rose from those who should know. The bushbots are perfectly willing to spin themselves into druken puddles.

Welcome to DU, tolumnia :hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. Didn't they brag how ** was the "first" spanish speaking pResident?

How can they have it both ways?

[NoAmericanTaliban]

33. He doesn't speak good English either & but that hasn't stopped him

in fact he is not that good at anything ..

[Rocknrule]

35. Bush's Spanish:

"I need el rideo to el towno in el trucko"

apologies to "The Mexican"

[Orsino]

42. "Yo needo el ride-o to the clinic-o de aborcionisto."

Lest we forget.

[yellowcanine]

37. If it is Kevin Phillips vs. McClellan I have to go with Phillips. Sorry

Scotty.

[rocktivity]

39. Therefore, is Kevin Phillips the "absurd" liar?

Has anyone caught up with him?

Having listened to the audio, all I can say is if he was speaking Spanish this fluently in 2001, it is hardly unreasonable that he would have little trouble singing in Spanish a year earlier.

P.S. I was able to sing "Frere Jacques" long before I started taking French classes in junior high school.



:headbang:
rocknation

[MisterP]

40. nonsense, his Spanish is as good as his English!

http://www.dubyaspeak.com/audio.phtml?year=2003
just search for "porque"

Wait, this is their DEFENSE? That he's a fumbling moron?! They'd rather paint him as lobotomized than as two-faced!

[Mr_Spock]

43. These are the dumbest people in the world. Bush speaks NO language!

"He's not that good with Spanish" - :eyes: - the stupid ass Bush can't even speak english :eyes:

WTF is wrong with these idiots? When is the dumb-fuck McClellan going to leave anyway?

[ShortnFiery]

44. Yeah man, we want our Snow Job! You promised us Tony ...

where is this smarmy POS for us to muss-up like my doggie with her chew toy?

[autorank]

45. RoseSiding, I love this story. Saw it on AOL and came right here

to see if it was up. Wow, I guess this means he's a .... hypocrite!!! dingdingding

Getting that right is like wining a $10 payoff in Vegas after you've been at the slots
all day.

So, let's get the video, soon;)

Great one and I was #5!

[PuraVidaDreamin]

47. Y'all remember that song, "I Believe in Miracles"....

Well for years I just sang,
"Wear a bra... you sexy thing"

Anybody CAN PRETEND!

[Raine]

48. Pathetic

that now they are literally using his ignorance to benefit him, very sad.

[Lisa]

49. he probably thinks the last two words of the anthem are "play ball"

I should be disgusted that he is wallowing in "the soft bigotry of low expectations", but at this point, all I can do is sigh. Remember how snippy the Bushies got when liberals dared to suggest that his Spanish (or "Mexican" as he referred to it) is not really up to snuff.

[goodhue]

50. He probably just mouthed along

Singing along in Spanish and not speaking Spanish that good are not mutually exclusive.

[Supersedeas]

51. not a STRAIGHT shooting denial is it--since when does singing ALONG

require proficient spanish???

McButterpants, ya crack me up.

[soup]

52. FWIW - Some ads from *2000 campaign in Spanish

I don't speak the language, so I have no idea what *he's saying... but gee, *he sure looks 'Ernest'
(yes, I know it's earnest - Ernest just seems more appropriate - know what I mean, Vern?)
http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/campaign2000/bush/index.html