Blaming the language is the easy way out. English is my second language, yet I spell better than 80-90% of americans I know. There is no excuse good enough to justify the misspelling of common, simple words used in everyday conversations. And yes, misspellings detract from your thoughts and make you look like you don't know what you're talking about.

Don't blame the language. Even the most complex languages can be learned, as we are born with the faculty to pick up anything and make it native. Another reason you can't blame it on the nature of the language is that if I can learn to spell and use grammar correctly, then other people sure as hell can. You've been learning since you were three. Unless you have a learning disability, no excuses. Seriously, it's getting ridiculous in this day and age where education is so lax.

It's pretty sad that someone in such a prestigious position is being called out for holes in logic of what they claimed[that linguist dude mentioned, et. al.]. Also, English is a beautiful language, rich with diversity and a blend of different origins. Why would you want to eradicate that? That's what makes it interesting. And it IS possible to "spell it out". English has tendencies, which are made easier to predict by learning prefixes and suffixes commonly used. And yes, misspellings greatly discredit your argument and distract from the point. If you don't know something, look it up. Care. I am so in line with the other commenters. Kudos.