Start with Mr. Obama. Answering a question that touched on bilingualism at one such forum in Powder Springs, Ga., on Tuesday, he said, I agree that immigrants should learn English.
But then he went on to poke fun at those who argue that we need English only and Americans who go over to Europe, and all we can say is merci beaucoup.
Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English theyll learn English you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish, he said. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language.
Mr. Obamas comments were a slight variation on a theme that he regularly sounds in his stump speech: the need for young Americans to be able to compete in a globalized economy with their counterparts around the world. He often accompanies that with criticism of school districts that have reduced or eliminated elective offerings, like foreign language instruction, because of budget constraints.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/politics/11checkpoint.html?fta=y
