Did Bush Sing Off Key In Anthem Flap?

(CBS/AP)  A book by Kevin Phillips says President Bush sometimes sang the national anthem in Spanish at campaign rallies in 2000.

The Washington Post says White House and campaign officials can't recall whether Mr. Bush did so, though they are dubious about the claim in "American Dynasty" because the president's proficiency in Spanish is limited.

"I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English," Mr. Bush told reporters last week, "and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English."

Mr. Bush was reacting to news that a Spanish-language version of the national anthem was being released. The initial version of "Nuestro Himno," or "Our Anthem" came out last week and features artists such as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the State Department has four Spanish-language versions of the anthem on its Web site, and that a number of accounts said a Spanish version of the anthem was performed at Bush campaign rallies in 2000. Only Phillips' account specifically says the president sang the anthem in Spanish.

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Listen to a portion of "Nuestro Himno."

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The Phillips book said Mr. Bush "would drop in at Hispanic festivals and parties, sometimes joining in singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in Spanish, sometimes partying with a 'Viva Bush' mariachi band flown in from Texas."

The release of "Nuestro Himno" has touched off a sharp political debate. Some Internet bloggers and others were infuriated by the thought of "The Star-Spangled Banner" being sung in a language other than English.

"It's kind of an odd way for illegal immigrants to ask the American people to forgive them for their offenses — to appropriate one of our symbols and make it suit them better," Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls, told CBS News correspondent Richard Schlesinger.