Burnt Orange Report

Senate Trivia

By Jim Dallas

I knew the U.S. Senate was an old boy's club, but... ¡Dios mio!

The Chronicle tells us that Sen. Martinez's (R-Fla.) three sentences in Spanish constitute the first bilingual Senate floor speech. Ever.

When Martinez broke into Spanish, followed by his own English translation, the stunned Senate stenographer looked up quizzically and just typed: "speaking Spanish."

Using his native language, Martinez addressed those who came to America to make a better life for themselves, telling them: "Gonzales is one of us" — "uno de nosotros."

Martinez said Gonzales represents "all of our hopes and dreams for our children" — "todos nuestros sueños y esperanzas para nuestros hijos."

He said we "cannot allow petty politics to deny us this moment" that makes us all proud — "No podemos permitir que la politiqueria nos quite este momento que nos enorgullece a todos."

Kerry Feehery, a spokeswoman for Martinez, said a transcript in English and Spanish would be included in the Congressional Record.

After his speech, Martinez, a former mayor of Orlando, Fla., and the 12th secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that the chance to speak Spanish and emblazon it on the Congressional Record was "unique."

Martinez said he hopes his Spanish remarks will instill a sense of pride among young Hispanic-Americans who feel embarrassed when struggling with English.

Frankly, the Spanish used appears to have been so elementary that even I got the gist of it... without translation. Maybe the fact that the Senate stenographer didn't get it ought to make kids who are struggling with Spanish feel a little better?

That said, it's too bad that Martinez is using his maiden speech to play the conservo-race card on behalf of Alberto Gonzales.

(Cross-posted from texasyojimbo.com)