US President Bush (file photo)

    BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The dispute over English being the national language has been gone on for a while. The US president Bush's stance over this has long been that he wants Americans to know English, said White House press secretary Tony Snow on Friday.

    "What the president has said all along is that he wants to make sure that people who become American citizens have a command of the English language," Snow said. "It's as simple as that."

    White House press secretary Tony Snow made this remark at a time when a broad immigration bill was introduced and moved toward a final Senate vote next week. 

Tony Snow worked for Fox News before he was picked by President Bush as White House press secretary.(file photo)

    The Senate on Thursday approved an amendment, sponsored by Sen. James Inhofe, which declare English the national language. But it also approved an alternative proposal sponsored by Sen. Ken Salazar, designating English the nation's "common and unifying language."

    The White House's reactions seemed to be in favor of both of these amendments. "We have supported both of these," said Snow.

    "The president has never supported making English the national language," Gonzales said, adding, "I don't see the need to have legislation or a law that says English is going to be the national language." Attorney General Alberto Gonzales remarked on Friday.

    As governor of Texas and a presidential candidate in 1980, Bush supported bilingual education programs. His presidential speeches were interspersed with Spanish words. On occasions, he released political commercials in Spanish.

    But he also has said the National Anthem should be sung in English. Enditem

    (Agencies)