The Feld-Blog

America is fighting two wars, drowning under the advancing tide of high oil prices, limping from corrupt politicians gushing from every corner of government, and this administration is crumbling beneath the lowest poll numbers they have even seen. So what is the president worried about? Apparently he’s worried about what language people sing our national anthem in.

This President rarely ever accepts pre-screened questions. When he does he often avoids answering the critical ones or has to pause for a few seconds to gather his thoughts. Instead, however, when asked last week in the rose garden what he thought about a music star singing the American national anthem in Spanish, Bush immediately quipped, “I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English, 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. Responding so quickly, he must have been prepared for this question.

First of all, doesn’t the President have more important things to worry about than what language people are singing our national anthem in? Illegal immigration has a powerful effect on this Nation’s economy, but instead of emphasizing the importance of his guest worker program – actually a very moderate and relatively reasonable proposal – he jumps at the bait and spins the media into focusing the spotlight on this completely trivial, idiosyncratic detail (Yes, I am aware of the irony of my blogging on this subject after articulating this particular criticism)

Second, Bush himself has sung the National Anthem in Spanish during his 2000 campaign for the presidency. He also invited Jon Seceda to sing America the Beautiful in Spanish at his first inauguration.

Finally, such thoughtless quips are irresponsible. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander took up the Presidents remarks, drafting legislation that would require that the National Anthem be sung only in English, citing that the Star-Spangled Banner has “never before…been rendered in another language.” False. Not only has Bush himself sung the National Anthem in Spanish, but in 1919, the Bureau of Education commissioned a version of the Star Spangled Banner in Spanish – this even before it was declared our national anthem by Congress in 1931. The history of alternative-language versions of the Star Spangled Banner actually predates our National Anthem.

I don’t always approve of the decisions this administration makes. In fact, I rarely agree with Bush at all, but I would rather the President concentrate his efforts on more important issues – of which there is no shortage. Government should return to its responsibilities to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Stop micromanaging citizens and start doing some actual substantive good.