PBS高端访谈:为什么奥巴马要寻求国会正式授权攻打伊斯兰国?

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Today's announcement of another American killed while in the hands of the Islamic State group puts focus again on what's being done to contain and stop the extremist organization.

　　To that end, the White House is pushing for congressional authorization¹ to use military force. Multiple sources on Capitol Hill tell the NewsHour they expect the formal request to arrive tomorrow.

　　For more on what the White House wants and why, and how lawmakers are responding to its efforts to win support, I'm joined by chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner and NewsHour political editor Lisa Desjardins.

　　Welcome back to you both.

　　So, Margaret, why, first of all, is the administration doing this? They have been conducting a campaign against the Islamic State for months.

　　MARGARET WARNER: Absolutely, Judy.

　　And they have been doing it, though, under these AUMFs, one in '01 to justify² the war against al-Qaida, and number two to justify the invasion of Iraq. But the president has been thinking about this for a long time. He gave a speech in May of 2013 at National Defense³ University in which he basically warned this was too open-ended, too outmoded, and could be used by any future president to justify enhanced powers that he felt were inappropriate.

　　So, one, it's sort of deeply felt by him, but, two, there are practical reasons. He wants now bipartisan congressional buy-in for both domestic reasons, when he comes in for funding requests and so on, but also for international reason, to send a message to allies and enemies alike that the American public is really behind this, this isn't just a president going off and doing what he wants here, and that they're in for a long fight.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, what have you been able to learn about the language? What's in this request?

　　MARGARET WARNER: Now, I first have to say, we keep both being warned that this could still change before it's introduced.

　　But it's designed, as one Democratic staffer to me, to thread the needle. Because he wants a bipartisan bill, he has to come up with ways to get Republican buy-in, as well as Democratic, even he has to lose extremes on either end. So, what we're told today is, one, there are restrictions⁶ on the use of ground forces, that it barred enduring offensive ground operations.

　　That was the language as of the middle of the day. There are a lot of exemptions⁷, special forces, advisers⁸ and trainers, the 3,000 that are already on the ground in Iraq. Two, it would sunset in three years, so any future president would have to return for new authorization.

　　And, three, it repeals¹⁰ one of the old AUMFs, the one used to justify going into Iraq, but not the original 2001 against Iraq. And that's one in which the Democrats¹¹ wanted to repeal⁹ both and the Republicans didn't want to repeal either.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, you have been talking — there's a lot to with here, Lisa. You have been talking to people on Capitol Hill. What kind of reception is this going to get?

　　LISA DESJARDINS: Margaret said the president has been thinking about this a long time. Members of Congress have been thinking about this a lot for a long time.

　　There's positive reception, in that the president has sent this authorization request up, even though he technically¹² doesn't have to, or at least logistically doesn't have to. It's sort of an acknowledgement of the power of Congress. That's appreciated obviously in the split power that we have right now.

　　However, Judy, there's a lot of caution. People want to see the exact wording, because while you can say that the president has signaled, we have both been hearing from our sources, that he's going to restrict ground troops in this authorization, the wording matters so much. And that's what members of Congress, especially Republicans, are waiting to see.

　　But what's interesting overall here is, this is a bipartisan plan. It splits both parties. That's risky¹³, or it could be brilliant. We will see what happens with the votes.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So what it is coming down to? Is the ground troop — boots on the ground language the most important piece of this? Is it the duration of the agreement? What is it that members are arguing?

　　LISA DESJARDINS: There are many working parts. The ground troop component¹⁴ is crucial, especially for Democrats. That might bring a lot of Democrats on if they believe it is a truly firm restriction⁵.

　　If it doesn't, he may lose the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party. But there's something else that people are talking about. They're talking about, what are the geographic¹⁵ parameters¹⁶? What exactly does this limit in terms of geography? The old Iraq war powers resolution was specific to Iraq for the most part.

　　Well, the Islamic State is something that goes beyond borders. How will the president deal with that in this resolution? So we're talking about completely changing our approach to not just Iraq, but to a much broader territory. That's why language matters.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, tell us about that.

　　MARGARET WARNER: Yes.

　　So, Senator Kerry last December — there was an earlier version of this, which I won't get into. But he made an impassioned statement in front of a Senate committee saying, no geographic limits. And there are no geographic limits in this specifically set. Now, it doesn't mean it will survive, because, Senator Corker's people are saying and Senator Corker said, as far as we're concerned, this is just the starting point. We are going to have hearings and we want the president to stay engaged.

　　LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

　　MARGARET WARNER: We want him to explain the strategy on Syria, which both a leading Democrat⁴, Tim Kaine, and Senator Corker think has not been laid out.

　　And the administration knows if they put this forward, which they are going to, they can't risk the fiasco that happened back a year-and-a-half ago, where he said, remember, I'm going to go to Congress for authorization to strike Syria over chemical weapons. And then everyone — he kind of wimped out. And that really damaged perception of American leadership in the world, the administration knows.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Lisa, it sounds like they're still sorting this out on the Hill. It's not clear where the lines are going to be drawn¹⁷.

　　LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

　　And I think the White House knows that. So, they have been — it's not the slowest of rolls, but it's a bit of a slow roll. That's — tomorrow, we know that House — that Senate Republicans are going to meet at 5:00 as a group.

　　And that indicates the seriousness of this. There are heavy politics involved here, but there is also a sense on Capitol Hill that this is a very important national matter. They meet tomorrow. Everyone in Congress goes home next week. Then we will see in the following weeks.

　　In general, I'm being told by my sources, expect this to take months of debate, more than weeks.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Margaret, is the White House sounding confident, not sure? What's your read?

　　MARGARET WARNER: Well, they're sounding confident that their outreach has been successful.

　　And you heard Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, no fan of the White House, actually say today that he thought — he appreciated the outreach. So I think that the Congress knows that the president is taking them seriously and the White House is putting a lot of stock in that.

　　But, from talking to people on the Hill, I think they are going to have a lot to explain and a lot to answer for when they actually go up there and testify.

　　LISA DESJARDINS: He needs 60 votes. Tough.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: It's not 51. Sixty is a matter…

　　LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, assuming it does come out tomorrow, and we do, we will certainly be looking at it in greater length tomorrow.

　　Lisa Desjardins, Margaret Warner, thank you both.

　　LISA DESJARDINS: My pleasure. Thank you.

1 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

2 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

3 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。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 exemptions   

n.（义务等的）免除( exemption的名词复数 )；免（税）；（收入中的）免税额

参考例句：

• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• A: The regulation outlines specific exemptions for some WPM. 答：该规定概述了某些木质包装材料的特定的例外情形。 来自互联网

8 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

9 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

10 repeals   

撤销，废除( repeal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The measure repeals a previous law that prevented local governments from targeting specific breeds for sterilization. 这项法令的出台将废止之前一项限制地方政府针对某种犬类采用绝育措施的法律。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

13 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

14 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

15 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

16 parameters   

因素，特征； 界限； （限定性的）因素( parameter的名词复数 )； 参量； 参项； 决定因素

参考例句：

• We have to work within the parameters of time. 我们的工作受时间所限。
• See parameters.cpp for a compilable example. This is part of the Spirit distribution. 可编译例子见parameters.cpp.这是Spirit分发包的组成部分。

17 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。