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Home > Window on Washington > Archives > 2006 > May > 19 > Entry
National language
White House spokesman Tony Snow said today that President Bush supports the Senate-approved amendment declaring English the national language.
The amendment, Snow said, is “consistent” with Bush’s long-standing call for immigrants to learn English.
Why then, Snow was asked, did the White House post Bush’s Monday immigration speech in Spanish on the official website?
Snow went patrially non-English in his response, saying he did not immediately know the answer and that the question would be placed on the “bubkes list.” The list is used for questions that require Snow to check on prior to answering.
Bubkes is a Yiddish term for “nothing.”
Later Friday, Snow took the translation question off the bubkes list by noting that the use of Spanish on the White House website “is guided by (Office of Management and Budget) policies for federal public websites and an executive order by President Clinton.”
Also Friday, Snow voiced a hesitancy to ask what he called “state of mind” questions concerning the president.
“I’m afraid we don’t have the mind meld going yet,” Snow said. “You’ll have to give me a little more time to get the mind meld going.”
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