Hagel confirmed as Pentagon chief

 　　WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 58-41 to confirm Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense¹. Hagel will be sworn in on Wednesday.

　　The vote was basically along party lines, with four Republicans breaking rank to join the Democratic majority. Hagel needed a simple majority of over 50 votes to be confirmed.

　　The confirmation² came as expected after GOP resistance was broken in a cloture vote to end debate earlier in the afternoon.

　　Hagel, a 66-year-old Vietnam War veteran, will succeed current Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, who made no secret his desire to retire.

　　Republicans had resisted Hagel's nomination³ on the grounds that his views on Israel and Iran were outside of mainstream⁴.

　　Hagel is believed to share many of President Barack Obama's views on the military and American power, and is viewed more inclined to support Obama's push to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan at a faster pace. But he will be taking over the Pentagon at a time of budget cuts and looming⁵ sequestration, on top of a strained relationship with Congress stemming from animosity created during his seven-week nomination saga⁶.

　　But the White House and Panetta both expressed confidence in Hagel. In a statement, Obama said that he will be counting on Hagel's judgment⁷ and counsel "as we end the war in Afghanistan, bring our troops home, stay ready to meet the threats of our time and keep our military the finest fighting force in the world."

　　In a farewell message, Panetta also praised Hagel as "an outstanding leader."

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

5 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

6 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

7 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。