President and Responding Democrats Broadcast in Spanish

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer

President Bush called for greater respect for legal immigrants from Mexico yesterday, declaring in his weekly radio address that his administration is committed to a
"welcoming spirit."

His address and the Democratic response were recorded in English and Spanish in honor of Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday. Some strategists in both parties say
Spanish-speaking voters, who voted heavily Democratic in the last presidential race but are being aggressively courted by Republicans, could decide the 2004
presidential election.

Bush said legal immigrants "have an equal place in the American story" and "their culture and contribution must be treated with respect."

"In the United States, I'm happy to say, we're putting old fears and quarrels behind us," Bush said. "We know that we must protect the integrity of our border, yet we
understand how that border can be viewed from the other side, as the gateway to better wages and a better life."

Democrats released two responses. Terence McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said the party will push to modernize voting machines and
electoral procedures. "We owe it to the civil rights foot soldiers who marched from Selma to Montgomery," he said. Last week, the party announced an $80,000
Spanish-language television ad campaign.

For some Spanish-language stations, House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) responded along with Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Gephardt said it was the first in a series of weekly radio addresses in Spanish by House Democrats.

Reyes criticized Bush for waiting until after a deadline had passed and people had waited in long lines to advocate legislation extending a deadline for immigrants to
remain in the United States while they pursue legal residency.

Bush, who spent yesterday at Camp David, called Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the victory of Mexican troops over invading French forces in 1862, a
"tribute to the strong and independent spirit of the Mexican people."

"We celebrated a little early at the White House this year, on quatro Mayo, with a fiesta on the South Lawn," Bush said. "With the mariachi music, folklorika dancing
and an ample supply of Mexican food, for a little while, it was just like being in Texas again."

Bush usually throws out a few Spanish phrases when meeting with Hispanic audiences, but his staff says he is not fluent in the language.

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