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July 11, 2008 4:53 PM

Obama: “I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!"

Posted by Maria Gavrilovic
(CBS)
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(DAYTON, OHIO) “I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing!” Barack Obama exclaimed today at town hall meeting here. Obama, who often touts his time growing up overseas, made the confession while speaking about the importance of teaching foreign languages in schools.

Obama came under fire by conservative groups earlier this week, after he said that more Americans should learn a foreign language.

At town hall meeting in Powder Spring, Georgia on Tuesday, Obama said, “It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup, right?”

The group Americans for Legal Immigration, which says they're "supporting candidates who make illegal immigration reduction a top priority", blasted Obama, saying that he has “stepped on a political land mine by stating Americans should be forced to learn to speak Spanish.”

Obama brushed off the criticism today, saying that immigrants should learn English but that Americans should learn a foreign language as well. “You know, this is an example of some of the problems we get into when somebody attacks you for saying the truth,” he said, “which is we should want children with more knowledge.”
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by heathentongue April 13, 2009 4:02 PM EDT
It sounds to me as if Obama is just being self-deprecating to make a point. According to various sources including his book Dreams From My Father he speaks Bahasa Indonesia at a conversational level, as well as a bit of Spanish, Luo (the language of his father's people), and presumably a smattering of ?lelo Hawai?i (though that technically is not a "foreign" tongue). Maybe he's forgotten too much to feel comfortable claiming any fluency.
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by PKooros March 31, 2009 9:52 PM EDT
How is what Obama said at all offensive? Kids SHOULD be learning at least one foreign language. Utah has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, perhaps this is related to the Mormon church's practice of training their young members for international missions (2 years for everyone), with extensive language training. Utah is an unexpected center of international business now, for exactly this reason. Arguing that learning something threatens nationalism irrational. Why should children learn anything more than they need to be a factory worker, or burger flipper, or janitor? Because they might want to be something more! Otherwise, get used to the Europeans, or Chinese, or Koreans being the engineers designing the new technology, the businessmen building international commerce, with many doctors and professionals enriching their societies.

The prejudicial nativist comments of some here that "illegals should go back to where they came from" is just not responsive to what direction American education should go. Its as useful and responsible as if I said "Go back to Europe" to them. Being ignorant and uneducated is not an American value, is not Christian, and not good for the nation.
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by mail4trish July 14, 2008 1:23 PM EDT
As an immigrant I am appalled by the statement made by Senator Obama. One of the fundamental benefits of US citizenship is the right to make our own choices.I reserve my right to choose which second, or in my case third language I learn. I learned English when I came to America without any special free classes. All Americans should be unified by a common language, those who come here and choose not to learn our language is not citizens, they are invaders.
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by quidquid-2009 July 13, 2008 5:39 PM EDT
Wow, way to put words in Obama''s mouth! While I am a Mccain supporter and I believe that there are other education reforms that should be of higher priority than foreign languages, Obama did NOT say that he wanted to make learning Spanish mandatory. He simply said that Americans would greatly benefit from learning more languages, and the most obvious first choice would clearly be Spanish for obvious reasons. I entirely agree that Americans should be minimally competent in at least one other language, although there are more important educational reforms that need to be addressed first.
We need to stop being so elitist about English and get over ourselves already. NEWSFLASH: AMERICA HAS NO OFFICIAL LANGUAGE. To impose an official language would be and completely antithetical to the basis of what this country was founded upon.
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by pjones501 July 12, 2008 2:50 AM EDT
Better find a new candidate while you still can Democrats. Anybody want to make a little bet about how many more times Obama sticks his foot in his mouth before the Convention??? (just kidding...about the betting part)

He''s ashamed that most American''s can only speak one language? There they go with that being ashamed of America again. Too bad he wasn''t ashamed when his minister shouted, "GOD DAAAAAAM AMERICA",
......Oh yeh, and the issue of Obama''s patriotism.....look for it to come back, big time.
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by pjones501 July 12, 2008 1:38 AM EDT
More specifically, Obama said we should all learn Spanish.

I don''t know if I should laugh
or cry.
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by zeezilman July 12, 2008 12:31 AM EDT
Liberal MSM news bias alert!!! Obama did not say Americans should all learn a foreign language, Obama said "don''t worry about immigrants learning English...you should have your children learn Spanish."

Can we say P-A-N-D-E-R to hispanics as the main course, with a little illegal alien on the side. Obama would do quite well running for dictator, errrr I mean President of Mexico, and for that matter so would John "illegal aliens are god''s children" McCain.

Neither of these two train wrecks are fit to be President of the U.S.
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by juliekay44 July 12, 2008 12:02 AM EDT
JFK was a strong supporter of education, which included foreign language and physical education.

I was in grade school when JFK was President. We had Spanish lessons three times for week during my last three years of grade school. I lived in the midwest and do not remember ever seeing any Spanish speaking people.

A few years later after JFK was no longer President, the funding was cut for foreign languages.

No other language was taught. I can still remember some Spanish, but cannot remember French from high school. Children need to learn languages when they are young.
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by dutch163 July 11, 2008 11:35 PM EDT
He''s absolutely right...We are in a global economy.I have been teaching Spanish for 37 years. In addition to HS Spanish, I teach Spanish for Educators. NY state is ahead of the curve here, a 2nd language is mandated for most HS students. It is a skill and a way to get ahead. It''s not too late for you to learn, Barack!
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by starpost July 11, 2008 10:52 PM EDT
I graduated City University of NY 35 years ago. A foreign language was required. I could speak, read and write in French based on 4 years of H.S. French and 1 year of College French. Obama says he graduated Harvard. What''s wrong with the Ivy League? Are they turning out dummies? Obama, you should be embarassed. My parents did not even graduate H.S. and they were bi-lingual. Obama, what''s wrong with you? You keep lecturing the rest of us ... you need to hit the books yourself!
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by beth20002 July 11, 2008 10:29 PM EDT
GObama! is a complete idiot. He can''t even speak any foreign languages. The ILLEGALS should be made to speak English. After all that is our official language. If they don''t like it then they can go back to where they came from.
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by johnfbiv July 28, 2009 2:54 PM EDT
Actually the USA doesn't have an official language.
by Jesse Cooday July 11, 2008 9:04 PM EDT
Over 200 languages are spoken in New York City. This is what makes America great so many different cultures sharing their Art, Songs and their Stories in English as well as their own languages. Gunalchiesh aya x%u2019axwdataanm (Tlingit) translates to %u201CThank you for allowing me to speak%u201D

Qen Annu Yecholim!
Sm se puede!
Barack Obama ''08
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by mjkcbs1 July 11, 2008 8:53 PM EDT
Of course Americans should learn another language - they should learn several. We should start teaching Spanish (Mexican) and French (Canadian) in our Kindergartens (hey, that''s a German word!) and keep it going through high school. It''s time for America to join the rest of the world.
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by mjkcbs1 July 11, 2008 8:51 PM EDT
Obama is not just good, he''s dead right on this one. Anyone who claims that it''s elitist to learn a second language should climb back under the rock they''ve been living under. Of course Americans should learn another language - they should learn several. We should start teaching Spanish (Mexican) and French (Canadian) in our Kindergartens (hey, that''s a German word!) and keep it going through high school. It''s time for America to join the rest of the world.
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by memekiller July 11, 2008 8:23 PM EDT
He is good, I''ll give him that.
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