Bush Calls for Extension of Anti-Terrorism Law; Kerry Critic

 

Scott Stearns

President Bush used his weekly radio address to call for the extension of a controversial anti-terrorism law. His presumptive Democratic challenger in this year's election criticized the president's handling of Iraq.
The U.S. Patriot¹ Act was one of the first legislative² responses to September 11.
In the weeks following the 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress removed barriers to information-sharing between law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It also made it easier to conduct electronic surveillance and wiretaps on suspected terrorists.
Concerns about the potential abuse of those broader policing powers have made the Patriot Act a campaign issue. The president's presumptive Democratic challenger in this year's election, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, voted for the Patriot Act, but has since expressed concerns about its implementation³.
Some provisions of the law are set to expire next year, and president Bush says that would put the nation at risk.
"Some politicians in Washington act as if the threat to America will also expire on that schedule," said president Bush. "Yet, we have seen what the terrorists intend for us, in deadly attacks from Bali to Mombassa to Madrid. And we will not forget the lessons of September the 11th. To abandon the Patriot Act would deprive law enforcement and intelligence officers of needed tools in the war on terror, and demonstrate willful blindness to a continuing threat."
The president says the Patriot Act safeguards Americans in a way that is fully⁴ consistent with constitutional protections. Since it began, Mr. Bush says, investigators⁵ have disrupted terrorist cells in at least six American cities, reflecting what he says is a fundamental shift in how government agencies defend against terrorist attack.
In the coming week, the president will continue to campaign on the Patriot Act - and national security as a whole - in meetings with law enforcement officials in the states of Pennsylvania and New York.
National security, the economy and the war in Iraq are the biggest issues in this year's presidential race.
In the Democratic radio address, Senator Kerry said the president's unilateral policy in Iraq has steadily⁶ drifted from tragedy to tragedy.
Senator Kerry called for a broader approach to the rebuilding of Iraq, with a greater reliance on other nations and a NATO-led effort to maintain security. He said it would be unthinkable to retreat in disarray⁷, leaving behind a society dominated by radicals⁸.
"It is now more important than ever that we take a different approach, designed to maximize our chance for success by making full use of the assets available to us," said Senator Kerry. "First, the administration must level with the American people, and be honest and upfront about the difficulties we face. The president may not want to admit mistakes, but his choices in Iraq have so far produced a tragedy of errors."
Senator Kerry voted to authorize⁹ the war in Iraq, but has criticized the president's handing of the post-war political and economic reconstruction¹⁰.
President Bush says Iraq is moving toward democracy. In the past week, he and British Prime Minister Tony Blair endorsed¹¹ a U.N. plan to establish a transitional government in Iraq to pave the way for elections.

注释：
controversial [7kCntrE5vE:FEl] adj. 争论的
presumptive [pri5zQmptiv] adj. 推测的
legislative [5ledVis7leitiv] n. 立法机关
enforcement [in5fC:smEnt] n. 实施，执行
surveillance [sE:5veilEns] n. 监视，监督
wiretap [5waiE7tAp] v. 窃听情报
implementation [7implimen5teiFEn] n. 执行，履行
disrupt [dis5rQpt] v. 干扰，扰乱使陷入混乱
unilateral [5ju:ni7lAtErEl] adj. 单方面的
NATO abbr. North Atlantic Treaty Organization 北大西洋公约组织
disarray [7disE5rei] v. 混乱
dominate [5dCmineit] v. 支配，操纵

1 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

2 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

3 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

7 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

8 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

9 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

10 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

11 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》