Obama's Poor English Lesson

There are many concepts that obie fails to grasp.. Beyond comprehending the importance of English; the fact that he relegates Iran's potential to wreak havoc to the size of its physical land mass is another fine example of how ignorant he truly is!! I would only take exception with one point you have offered and that is the "candidate" speaks excellent English.. If using a script this is true but his grasp of speaking extemporaneously is poor at best.. Much better than the ghetto crap usually proffered but still a long way from coherent and forceful!!

There is so much wrong with Senator Obama's knee jerk response, where does one begin? Americans should not be made to feel ashamed if they lack ability in other languages. Most Europeans that can speak more than one language do so by necessity, like the Swiss, who must make enormous efforts to learn languages. It is a great blessing to have one language that everyone can understand and it makes for much greater efficiency in commerce, government and education. Language differences divide a country: one only needs to observe language politics in Belgium or Canada, for example. Also, bilingualism as a job requirement is troubling; in countries where bilingualism is a frequent job qualification, many talented people get held back only because they have no facility with speaking foreign languages--yet many people who are very intelligent, competent and talented can't speak foreign languages. In Canada many government positions require a bilingual person, and the media ridicules any potential Prime Minister (e.g., Preston Manning) who speaks little French. Merci beaucoup!

"My ability to communicate in English well"

YIKES!

English just happens to be the official language of the European Union.
Obama wants to U.S. to surrender its sovereignty to include all of the Americas--much like the European Union (EU) is a single power.
This is the dream of his controller George Soros.
Obama clearly stated, "What's good for the people of the Americas is good for the U.S."
He would have us give up our Constitution. He does not have to "tip his hand" at this, though, just appoint 4 ultra-socialistic-liberal judges to replace the four elderly Supreme Court Justices and watch how the fabric of our country unravels. These will be, of course, lifetime appointments.
Do you wonder if his goal is to bring America to its knees?

Hispanic immigrant can learn English and get an education-
just like Jewish immigrants did.

I'm a 77-year old bi-lingual American (French).. I've travelled all over.. and lived in TURKEY and IRAN.. and i have NEVER been in any situation ANYWHERE, where I could NOT get by in ENGLISH!!!

I'm a 77-year old bi-lingual American (French).. I've travelled all over.. and lived in TURKEY and IRAN.. and i have NEVER been in any situation ANYWHERE, where I could NOT get by in ENGLISH!!!

English is the language of the INTERNET. Computers helped spread English because most computer programming languages were written in English and only later were versions created for other languages.
But, since Democrats prefer to foster dependency, Obama's position isn't entirely unfathomable. What better way to keep an entire population out of the mainstream (and dependent on government) than by denying them the ability to communicate with others outside their own locality?

Why learn English? Why learn any language other than your own if you have a universal translator that will convert any language into one you understand?
Sorry, Senator Obama, but we haven't yet made contact with the Vulcans. The United Federation of Planets is not yet on the horizon.
As for what is so "special" about English? It's the language of this country, that's what.

I agree with the other posters commenting on Obama's use of "perfect English". A close examination of his speeches and extemporaneous comments will show this.

CHANGE!

Uhhh, Bruce, its A.D. not "C.E." buddy. And the fact many other countries speak English has no bearing on why or why not Obama should praise it. He should praise the English language because it has been spoken here for 400 years.

Why C.E. (Common Era)? This is the langiage of the liberals and the Left. B.C. is the language of the Conservatives.

Obama has failed to grasp that English is and has been the lingua franca for some decades after supplanting French, the former lingua franca. I wonder if the Obamessiah has ever talked to the pilots who fly him from town to town for even a moment. If he did, he'd learn quickly that English is the official language of air traffic control.

That said, I speak English extremely well, German and Dutch well, and know enough French and Spanish to get a room, a meal, some drinks and a woman. If you have a reason for learning a second or third language, it makes perfect sense to do so.

It makes sense in a continent in which the nearest nation in which people speak a different language may be only a short drive away. My ex grew up in Southern Holland speaking Dutch, but with Germany and Belgium only miles away, she needed more than Dutch to get by.

It's harder to make that case for a kid who grows up in the US. It's not a practical necessity here and could be considered a waste of time. Frankly, after spending the day reading resumes and cover letters from recent college graduates, I would be happy if our schools could just teach our kids proper English.

So Senator Obama....what language do you think I should choose as my second language. Let's see......perhaps Urdu would do. Now what do I do with that choice? Where does it move me in the world? What opportunity does it offer me?

Oh yes, let's speak Spanish! Now what do I do with that? Perhaps when I visit a Mexican restaurant I can order the food from an American waitress who speaks only English. English is the language of opportunity; it will open many more doors for so many more people than Urdu or Spanish. Get real!

I recently graduated from college (and, believe it or not, managed to be MORE conservative) and while I did study a second language (French) I did so for my own personal fulfillment. Just like I wouldn't expect a Frenchman or a Spaniard or a German to speak English merely so I could communicate with them if I were in their country, I believe that the same courtesy should be extended to Americans. Your nation's language should be a matter of pride for every citizen and as such, it should be spoken with something at least resembling a passable understanding.

On a side note...after recently stumbling upon The American Thinker, I find myself more convinced daily that while it may not yet be too late, the country is steadily slipping away. The fact that Obama, with such an abysmal voting record, clearly radical and perhaps dangerous views, blatant misrepresentations of himself and where he stands, and a multitude of other "character flaws" could get this far on the national scene scares me indeed. However, I think the founding fathers set an example that has perhaps been covered over...when it came to making what they thought would be a better world, it required a certain amount of daring, sacrifice, and personal responsibility. These concepts created a country once, maybe they could save it now...or am I just holding out too much hope?

Here is the (non PC) truth:
Americans don't NEED to speak anything but English, but those form non-English speaking nations DO!
Latinos that immigrate should have the obligation to learn to speak English. That they CHOOSE not to do so, is only a reflection of their "alienness" the sad fact is that many of them do not want to integrate into society, for the most part, they live huddled together, fly foreign flags, celebrate foreign holidays and root for foreign teams that play against the US. I have no doubt that should they instead embrace the American culture, they would have a much easier time being accepted. When I visit the US, and communicate in English, I have always received a warm and kind welcome wherever I go.
The fact that Obama, pandering to a strong constituency, downplays the importance of speaking English, shows that he is not interested in helping those people adapt to their new country and therefore is not interested in helping them achieve the American Dream, he just wants their votes.

@Greg
Uhhh, Greg, CE and BCE are perfectly acceptable buddy. CE stands alternately for Common Era or Christian Era and BCE adds 'before' to either. The terms have been around in some form or another since the mid-500's and have drifted in an out of usage between then and now. Lots of archeology types have reverted to using CE in the past 20 years as a sop to political correctness because under the Common Era meaning, it dignifies those who are not Christian but who use the same calendar.

During my many years of living, traveling and working overseas in Japan and Korea I had a very rudimentary grasp of some basic Korean and Japanese terms. However I rarely had a problem traveling due to so many Korean and Japanese nationals spoke some English. Even signs in railway stations are posted in English. For all of BHO's worldly knowledge and much ballyhooed education he sure don't seem to know much.

Bad advice from Mr. Obama. My mother tongue is Vietnamese, but I was trained as a mechanical engineer in a Swiss university where French is the teaching language. As a result, I can write, read and speak perfect French (with a Parisian accent to boot!). I have gotten an engineering graduate degree from a major East coast university, so English has been the main language of my engineering experience. I have also studied German, Spanish and Italian as hobbies. I have found that the knowledge of languages is useful in advancing the understanding of people. But English has become the universal language and has long overtaken Spanish.

During the run-up to the recent elections here in Spain(thankfully only 6 weeks, beginning to end) our sitting PM, Zapatero, said, during a debate, that he would promote English as a Second Language in every school, at every grade.
Challenged on this by people who asked if he meant "a language other than Spanish", eg. French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, as a Second Language, he said no; English!
Any chance we can trade Zapatero to you for Obama? But no Michelle, please!

John wrote: "Why C.E. (Common Era)? This is the langiage of the liberals and the Left. B.C. is the language of the Conservatives."

If you want to really frost a liberal, just tell them that "C.E." stands for Christian Era. :=)

I read not too long ago in the LA Times that Mexican immigrants did not want bilingual schools. Their comment was that English was the language of opportunity, Spanish was the language of maids and gardeners.

Don't take my SUV and McDonalds. I need my reality TV Dinners. Why's America even learn English... we don't even read anymore!

Look, for you fools on here that aren't grasping the message here - he's throwing down the gauntlet for us as Americans. The challenge is to live up to what this great country was and should be now. Europeans learn other languages because OMG they realize they have neighbors and they actually want to communicate with them. Oh, that and they want to compete in the global economy. He doesn't just throw down this gauntlet regarding language. Jesse Jackson is p.o.'d at him for "talkin down to black folks," why? Because Barack is challenging men who have children to be men and raise their children.

It simply amazes me how incensed we become when we are challenged to better ourselves in this country. Frankly, it is embarrassing what this great nation is becoming. Is it un-American to strive for something better? Aren't we suppose to be the shining light on the hill?
Merci Beaucoup,

Si Se Puede!

Obama's comment fits well with everything else that we know about him - racist, communist, domestic terrorist associates ; good to be home in Africa ; patriotism is not a loyalty to just one country ; Hussein ; Indonesian school ; Che Guevara ; wife with her Princeton thesis ; Rezko ; fascist style rallies ; seal ; Soviet anthem in Portland ; Palestinian sufferers ; community service for school children ; messiah ; fundraiser in San Francisco, etc.

"America the Beautiful": The issue was English as a _primary_ language. Certainly it is good for anyone to learn a second language. However, history has shown time and time again that a common language is a primary unifier in any society, and countries that do not have one common language fragment. What Obama seems to be saying is that instead of the Spanish-Speaking immigrants learning English - and assimilating into American society - we should learn Spanish and accomodate them. Already there are areas in Florida and California where English is never spoken and all signs are in Spanish.

Been everywhere, never had a need for any language but English (though I speak enough to get by in Spanish and Japanese); but, that's not the point. The best example is in my youth their was a large influx of Hispanics from Cuba and Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans pretty much did not learn English and had low paying jobs. Cubans were quick to learn English and quickly assimilated into the economy. I can point to many examples of the same. Second and third generation Puerto Ricans got the message and many became professionals. I believe that in addition to his personal arrogance and elitism, Obama's statement indicates that he is still barely qualified as a community organizer and totally unqualified to lead the nation.

All I see is that the Mexican's/Illegals/Anchor Babies/Latin groups,don't have the Brain's to learn English..Other countries can..That's why there is a lot of divide in my country now.Especially because there are people here that shouldn't be..

As a British citizen, I won't comment on American political matters, but I will comment on the linguistic aspect of this story. I would recommend a wider use of Esperanto, not to take the place of English, of course, but as a relatively second language for all.

Take a look at www.esperanto.net

Esperanto works! I've used it in speech and writing in a dozen countries over recent years.
Indeed, the language has some remarkable practical benefits. Personally, I've made friends around the world through Esperanto that I would never have been able to communicate with otherwise. I recommend it, not just as an ideal but as a very practical way to overcome language barriers.

I have a different take on this - I'm an Korean American who received all of his education in America. On a whim, I decided to come to Korea to learn my parents' native language, see some culture, etc... The idea was to have a one-year cultural experience. I've been here 3 now...and I make a little over 100K a year teaching conversational English to Koreans. English IS the most important language in the world... at least that's how every Asian country in the world sees it. Speaking proper English, in any Asian country, greatly increases your marketability to companies. And I mean by a LOT; at least twice as much money as someone with no English skills. But Obama's message makes a point - we should all strive to be more. When an American (white or black) in Korea shows respect by learning a few phrases or sentences in Korean, they are litterally heralded with cheers and free drinks...but why? The classic notion of an American in Korea is someone with a closed mentality - "I'm American, do you know what that means? My country is better than yours." Thank God we have so many Americans living abroad who are working hard to erase this stereotype (who, by the way, are subject to the business end of very acidic racist comments) - Though many who are still at home refuse to consider it.

I travel A LOT. Mostly English is spoken everywhere as a 2nd language. Spanish hasn't helped me in the Middle East or Asia.