The Ugly American

I am all for learning other languages - as I posted yesterday, One is getting more into learning Spanish and also wants to take German. They both have the standard, fairly ineffectual Spanish classes that most Texas elementary students seem to have, but I hope to get them a little further down the road in Spanish (and German too, if One really wants to do this). I assume that, when grown, they will have more Spanish (and/or German) than I have French or Husband has German - just one of those "mom goals" I keep in the back of my head.

So, on the assumption that learning a second language is a good idea, is this nevertheless what one needs to be commenting on while running for president:

"You know, 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?"

Oh save me Mr. Gray Poupon! Of all the things in the world that need fixin', this man is harping on how icky it is that Americans don't bother to go to Berlitz before heading over to Europe on vacation. Heavens to Betsy, this is a major problem! Call out the troops - pull them out of Iraq and send them out into the hinterlands with Introductory French textbooks and tapes, so all the rubes can learn to sing "La Vie en Rose" with a proper Parisian accent.

Gah!

UPDATE: Link from Gateway Pundit via Instapundit