"...sheeeesh, if he had another hour he would've surrendered"
Posted on 02/27/2013 1:26:04 PM PST by Nachum
Secretary of State John Kerry showed off his French speaking skills at a joint press conference with his counterpart in Paris today:
The official State Department transcript of the event translates Kerry's remarks into English: "SECRETARY KERRY: (In French - Via interpreter) Thank you very much, Minister. Thank you for your warm hospitality. Thank you very much for welcoming us here today. It’s a great pleasure for me to be here with Foreign Minister Fabius. We just finished one of those wonderful French lunches that have been drawing Americans to Paris for centuries. Of course, it’s a privilege to share any meal with Laurent. He is a trusted friend, a steadfast ally, and a valued partner. And I would like to thank him for all of these. France, as you know, is the oldest ally of the United States, so we would like to thank you also for that. And now I will speak in English, because otherwise I would not be allowed to return back home. (Laughter.)" - See more at: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/john-kerry-shows-his-french-language-skills_704810.html?utm_source=co2hog#sthash.Yi6SIcxa.dpuf
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
“J’ai le chapeau!”
Looks more like he was reading French.
Il est un tete merde, non?
(I think I got that right).
"...sheeeesh, if he had another hour he would've surrendered"
“Barf Alert”.......
Vomir Alerte
Finally, something Jean Kerri understands—French lunches. Et le vin!
Isn’t that the photoshop that got Registered sued?
He is reading the French speech and while he had apparently had some education in French he is likely not fluent enough to speak off the cuff. That said I give him credit. Few Americans (perhaps excepting many Latinos) have any ability to speak another language with any degree of fluency. When traveling in Europe it is not uncommon to find especially young people who speak two or more languages besides their own. That would be a rarity in the USA where many young people do not even speak proper English. I was a French major as an undergraduate.
Est-il l’homme qui a servi en Viet Nam?
He is becoming a self-parody.
I agree completely. How many Secretary’s of State has the United States fielded that could speak a second language? While I detest everything about Kerry, this I can’t hold against him.
Could Hillary speak a second language?
Condi can speak several languages. Don’t know about Colin Powell. I’m sure Maddie Half-bright could. Alexander Haig could. George Shultz can, I am told.
Condaleeza spoke a few.
I don’t like Jean Querrie very much, he of the LBJ Silver Star. But, credit where credit is due: fluency in French is not that easy. I had two years of French in college, and traveled around Francophone Africa for a while. If I were to be dropped in the middle of France, I could get to the nearest train station, order meals, register in a hotel and just get by. Engage a Parisian in a political or technical discussion, fugetaboutit.
I agree that the lack of language skills among our politicians is a pathetic embarrasment. My American mother spoke French, Italian and German. My father knew Russian. I am not as accomplished, being only bilingual.
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