The debate on the role of teaching foreign languages ​​in the public school system leaves much to consider: from the role that learning foreign languages ​​plays in our cognitive development and cultural, to the study of what it takes to become fluent in a foreign language in terms of time, energy and opportunity cost, compared to applying the language later in life. With many stakeholders, including academics, journalists, and politicians, lending their perspectives to the topic, it is important to understand how our country's leader values ​​foreign language education, in order to better understand how foreign language will be influenced in education legislation. During President Obama's 2008 campaign, he supported foreign language education, as demonstrated by CNN.com's campaign film, “Sen. Barack Obama on learning foreign languages”. Speaking directly to his constituency and undecided voters, he proclaimed the value that bilingual skills can offer Americans, as well as his own embarrassment at not being fluent in another language. Obama uses ethical appeals to express that we need to be less concerned about immigrants learning English, “they will learn English,” and more concerned about teaching our children Spanish because having that ability will improve their lives; logical calls to support teaching our children a foreign language in the early years of life, when it is easier to learn; and emotional appeals proclaiming “it's embarrassing” about Europeans coming to our country speaking multiple languages, including ours, while when we go to Europe, “all we can say is merci beaucoup.” Because Obama's intended audience is moderate to liberal, or more progressive, he is able to convey... middle of paper... that our children learn languages ​​at an early age as a way to make the process of learning the language easier and improving the child's ability to learn it successfully, was considered un-American. The appeals expressed in Obama's campaign speech were undeniably effective in garnering support from the progressive left and in sparking controversy and debate among the population at large. Although his words were interpreted differently among the intended audience and the general public, the topic was in line with his campaign theme: bringing forth hope and change. Works Cited Obama, Barack. “Sen. Barack Obama on learning foreign languages”. YouTube.com. July 8, 2008. CNN.com. March 4, 2012 .Gheen, William. "Americans are forced to learn Spanish!" Opinion. Broward whistleblower. Alba News Inc, 2008. Web. 18 March 2012.