# Does Jeb Bush's WIfe Columba Speak English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 6, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395 "2015-07-06T14:40:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/1 "2015-07-06T14:40:39Z")
Unlike many political wives, Jeb Bush’s wife Columba does very few public appearances, at least in English language media. Moreover, most accounts say that Jeb and Columba speak Spanish at home. This has led to the question in some quarters: does she speak English at all? Or does she speak it poorly enough that she’s uncomfortable speaking English in public? I’ve looked for public appearances by Mrs. Bush, but the ones I’ve found show her speaking in Spanish to Mexican journalists. I haven’t seen any interviews she’s given in English. Has anyone seen any? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/2 "2015-07-06T15:49:18Z")
She’s an adult learner, since she spoke no English when she married Jeb. She is often described as being uncomfortable doing public speaking in English. OTOH, she’s been in the U.S. for 30 years, most of them as a high profile political wife who has been busy with the usual political wife duties of arts and charities. It’s unimaginable that she doesn’t speak English. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/3 "2015-07-06T20:58:03Z")
Well I think I have to put some personal experience here, sure I can speak English well, but I’m aware enough that my accent is off-putting to many, and many times even I can notice later several crimes against grammar that I commit when I write. If you ever wondered why a lot of Hispanics that are ESL are not showing at quiz shows it is because just a very embarrassing misspelling of a word can turn you into a big loser and a very infamous at that thanks to the internet\*. Now imagine a gaffe like that magnified X100 in the political world. This is why if I ever get into politics it will in a supporting role. \*Do you remember why some easy “gimmie” questions are supposed to be nursery rimes? Well, imagine that you come from a place were the nursery rimes and kid games are different. Yes, you end up looking dumb right away. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/4 "2015-07-06T21:55:52Z")
You knew that Gaudere wouldn’t let that post off scot-free, didn’t you? A pair of words with similar ending sounds is a “rhyme”. “Rime” is a build-up of salt or frost. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/5 "2015-07-07T01:17:10Z")
:smack: “Thank you for bringing up such a painful subject. While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it!” - Miracle Max. Oh well, at least I would do ok with movie trivia. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/6 "2015-07-07T03:13:03Z")
I just figured rime for rhyme was an unintentional demonstration of the topic of the post. Sort of like how any post complaining about a spelling or grammatical error will contain at least one of the same. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/7 "2015-07-07T14:52:56Z")
[Sez here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/columba-bushs-painful-unlikely-road-toward-the-white-house/2015/03/21/5918fe20-c7fd-11e4-a199-6cb5e63819d2_story.html) she does. > [@](#): > > But “we were not an easy family to marry into. I had found the big Bush family a little overwhelming, so I could imagine Colu’s feelings! To complicate things, she spoke very little English then, although she became fluent very quickly,” Barbara later said in her memoir. > … > Columba “doesn’t like the spotlight particularly, but I’ll have to say, I didn’t either,” her sister-in-law, former first lady Laura Bush, recently told CNN. “I got used to it.” > > “I did give Columba advice,” she added. “I told her that she ought to get a really good speech and give it. She can give a speech in English and Spanish. I think that’s a huge advantage for her. I think it can be a huge asset for the Republican Party to reach out to Hispanics in this country.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/8 "2015-07-07T16:07:51Z")
Someone who learns English as an adult is likely going to have a pronounced accent, no matter how fluent they are in English. It was that way with my grandparents, it was that way with my wife’s grandparents. . . hell, it was that way with Desi Arnaz. Columba Bush may not want to give speeches because she doesn’t want to hear the crowd saying, “Huh? What? Can you repeat that?” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/9 "2015-07-07T22:39:31Z")
[Starting at about 22:20.](http://www.c-span.org/video/?174950-1/girls-substance-abuse) ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/10 "2015-07-08T17:31:40Z")
No quibbling about “Rime” please. [The Rime of the Ancient Mariner](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173253) is a favorite poem. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/11 "2015-07-08T17:33:30Z")
How could Coleridge be such a famous author if he couldn’t even spell? Maybe it was the cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/12 "2015-07-08T17:39:26Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > No quibbling about “Rime” please. > [The Rime of the Ancient Mariner](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173253) is a favorite poem. That doesn’t count. Lots of poets misspell words on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/13 "2015-07-08T17:50:31Z")
Or maybe the old salt really was encrusted with ice. Those storms at sea can be miserable, especially if you’re out on deck. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/14 "2015-07-08T20:01:00Z")
Maybe the real question should be: Does she speak English better than her brother-in-law, George. Or is that setting the bar too low? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/15 "2015-07-08T20:38:50Z")
OK, now that Lord Feldon gave a link that factually answers the OP in the affirmative (although with a significant accent). Bonus question: Given that Columba doesn’t quite fit the model of what most Americans are used to in terms of a first lady (out in the spot light glad handing), how will this affect Bush’s election prospects? While I could see it helping to get an in road into the Hispanic vote in the general (although given how badly the Republicans have mucked this up I still think the Dems will have it pretty much sewn up), but I think it may significantly hurt him in the primary. What say you all? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/16 "2015-07-08T21:08:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You knew that Gaudere wouldn’t let that post off scot-free, didn’t you? A pair of words with similar ending sounds is a “rhyme”. “Rime” is a build-up of salt or frost. Actually, rime can have either meaning. I recall being quite surprised when I first encountered a poetry textbook – it was SOUND & SENSE – that used time for rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/17 "2015-07-08T21:10:33Z")
Cite for above post: > **[Rime](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rime)** > > Rime may refer to: > Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/18 "2015-07-08T21:15:32Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > OK, now that Lord Feldon gave a link that factually answers the OP in the affirmative (although with a significant accent). Bonus question: Given that Columba doesn’t quite fit the model of what most Americans are used to in terms of a first lady (out in the spot light glad handing), how will this affect Bush’s election prospects? > > While I could see it helping to get an in road into the Hispanic vote in the general (although given how badly the Republicans have mucked this up I still think the Dems will have it pretty much sewn up), but I think it may significantly hurt him in the primary. What say you all? No one\* votes for First Lady. Non-issue. \*Except when it’s Jackie!! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/19 "2015-07-08T22:00:26Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Maybe the real question should be: Does she speak English better than her brother-in-law, George. Or is that setting the bar too low? 😃 Well, she DEFINITELY speaks English better than Joe Biden, if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395/20 "2015-07-08T23:07:02Z")
Listening to the recording of her, linked above, she sounds pretty good to me. Much better than my (late) European-born grandmother sounded! And how many of us have grandparents with significant accents? Of course, she’s reading a speech, too, which might be a lot more comfortable than speaking extemporaneously. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-jeb-bushs-wife-columba-speak-english/724395.md?page=2)