Laura differs with Bush on anthem

Washington: US First Lady Laura Bush says she sees nothing wrong with singing the national anthem in Spanish.

In an interview on CNN, she describes the US as a "nation of many, many languages." As for the national anthem, she says she doesn't see 'anything wrong with singing it in Spanish'.

When it was pointed out that this position differs from her husband's, Mrs Bush seemed to have a different answer. She said the anthem 'should be sung in English, of course'.

Her husband has been dismissive of a Spanish-language version of the national song, which debuted last week. President George W Bush also said people who want to live in the US should learn English and 'learn to sing the national anthem in English'.

In he interview, the First Lady added that what people want is for the anthem to be sung in a way that 'respects' the US and its culture.