We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.
Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.
For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.
George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.
He heard nothing. It compromises his legacy of a "new America".
I like the way Mark Steyn put it:
Of course, conservatives have been mad about a lot of Bush policies for a long time — education, immigration — but, in fairness to him, he campaigned as a massive federaliser of the school system and as a big nancy-boy pushover for illegal Mexicans.
Has Bush Blown It?
Mark Steyn - October 8, 2005
While most informed people give FDR credit for his war time leadership and overall handling of the conflict, they also understand that he did a lousy job handling the Great Depression. In fact, if it wasn't for the onset of WWII the economic depression might have gone on for years. In 1940 the US had a 17% unemployment rate, along with anemic economic numbers across the board.
PresBush is in somewhat the same dilemma. Most informed people give him some level of credit for the overall prosecution of the WOT. Personally, I think Bush has shown remarkable leadership in Iraq. But Bush's liberal spending habits, expansion of the federal bureaucracy and his open border policy on illegal immigration has severely damaged his credibility with conservatives and tainted his Presidency.
Btw, have you a link to that speech by Bush?