Outgoing U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the fact that U.S. territory has not been attacked since September 11, 2001, is the central accomplishment of his four years in office. Chertoff credits the policies of U.S. President George Bush with keeping America safe from further attacks.
即将离任的美国国土安全部部长切尔托夫表示，美国国土自2001年9/11事件后没有遭到攻击是他在任4年最主要的成绩。切尔托夫将功劳归于布什总统让美国安全免遭进一步攻击的政策。
Michael Chertoff told an audience at Washington's Georgetown University Thursday he is proud of having helped to guard against acts of terrorism.
切尔托夫星期四在乔治城大学演讲时表示，他对能够协助同恐怖主义进行斗争感到骄傲。
"In the dark days immediately following September 11th, when the smoke was still emanating from the smoldering fires underneath the World Trade Center, no one would have predicted that there would have been no successful attack on American soil in the following seven years," he said.
他说：“在9/11之后的黑暗日子里，当世界贸易大楼的废墟仍然烟雾迷漫的时候，没有人能够预测在未来7年里美国领土不会出现更多的恐怖袭击。”
Chertoff says the absence of attacks since 2001 is a direct result of President Bush's anti-terrorism policies.
切尔托夫说，自2001年以来没有再发生恐怖袭击，是布什总统反恐政策的直接结果。
One of those policies is the U.S.A. Patriot Act, an act of Congress Mr. Bush signed into law in 2001, broadening government powers to conduct surveillance and gather intelligence. While some provisions of the legislation have been controversial, Chertoff says the Patriot Act has enhanced his agency's ability to protect the country.
其中之一的政策是国会和布什总统于2001年签署的爱国法，扩大了政府进行侦测和收集情报的权力。切尔托夫说，虽然这项法律的某些条款引起争议，但是这项爱国法还是加强了国土安全部保护美国的能力。
"I would not wish on anybody who has the responsibility to protect the American people, and to look into the eyes of people who lost loved ones in terrorist attacks, as have done, I would not wish on them having to put a blindfold back on so they could not adequately assure the public and themselves that everything possible was being done to protect America," he said.
切尔托夫说：“我不希望任何有责任保护美国人民的人像过去一样去面对那些在恐怖攻击中失去亲人者的眼睛，我不希望他们被戴上眼罩而无法使用各种可能的手段来确保美国民众和他们自己。”
Chertoff, who is the second Homeland Security secretary, says the creation of the cabinet-level department in 2003 was a revolutionary move to coordinate U.S. law enforcement.
身为国土安全部第二任部长的切尔托夫说，于2003年成立这个内阁级的国土安全部是协调美国执法机构的一个革命性举措。
"The purpose was not simply to create a new department," he said. "It was to have one place where the overarching mission would be [to] protect all of our air, sea and land against people coming in to do dangerous things, and then work to protect the internal infrastructure - something that had never been done before - by analyzing and managing the risk, in partnership with the private sector."
他说：“目的不是为了成立一个新的部。目的是为了成立一个机构来统筹负责抵挡所有打算借由海陆空进入美国从事破坏的人，从而保护美国内部的基础设施，这是过去从来没有做过的事，借由分析和预防危险因素，并且和民间组织合作。”
Janet Napolitano, the governor of the Southwestern state of Arizona, has been named by President-elect Barack Obama to succeed Chertoff as Homeland Security Secretary. Chertoff says he is sure that she will continue the legacy of success.
美国亚利桑那州州长纳波里塔诺已经被当选总统奥巴马提名担任新的国土安全部部长，接替即将离任的切尔托夫。切尔托夫表示，他肯定纳波里塔诺会继续他们的工作。
"I have perfect confidence in the dedication of my successor and the new administration," he said. "I believe they are as dedicated as we to protecting Americans. And I believe they will want to carry on and discharge this most important obligation with as much vigor as we did."
他说：“我对我的继任者和新政府的努力有十足信心。我相信他们会和我们一样保护美国人民。而且我相信他们将会执行并且会像我们所做的一样，全力以赴。”
Chertoff cautioned, however, that serious security threats remain. He says that point was vividly underscored by last month's deadly attacks in Mumbai, India, which he says were skillfully coordinated and particularly targeted toward financial centers and Americans.
但是无论如何，切尔托夫也警告说，严重的安全威胁依然存在。他表示，这可以由上个月印度孟买的死亡袭击得到鲜明的印证。 |