2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Considering Iraq Options

By Scott Stearns
White House
16 December 2006

U.S. President George Bush continues to consider options for what he says will be a new way forward in Iraq. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, a bipartisan panel of senior officials is urging Mr. Bush to withdraw most U.S. combat forces over the coming year.

William Perry (file photo)

Former Defense¹ Secretary William Perry says America is being torn apart by the controversy² over the conduct of the war in Iraq, which he says could become a quagmire³ reminiscent of the Vietnam War, unless President Bush changes course.

"Each month, 50 to 100 U.S. military personnel are being killed, and hundreds more maimed or wounded. Each month, 2,000 to 3,000 Iraqis are being killed and thousands more wounded," he said.

Perry led the Pentagon under President Bill Clinton, and served on the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which is urging President Bush to pull out most combat troops by early 2008 and engage in more direct talks with Iran and Syria over improving Iraqi security.

President Bush is considering that group's report along with analysis from the Pentagon and State Department in deciding on what he says will be a new direction for Iraq that he will announce early next year.

While White House officials say the president is considering all options, Mr. Bush has previously⁴ ruled out direct talks with Iran, until it stops enriching uranium and says there will be no dialogue with Syria, until it stops undermining democracy in neighboring Lebanon.

The president has also rejected setting a timeline for the withdrawal⁵ of U.S. troops, saying that would ultimately make violence worse, as insurgents⁶ would simply wait for American forces to leave.

In the Democrats⁷' weekly radio address, Perry said there could be a spike⁸ in Iraqi violence following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but he says that could happen whether the withdrawal is in five months or five years.

He says the report by the Iraq Study Group, or ISG, is meant to give the president a candid⁹ assessment¹⁰ of the challenges ahead and suggestions for the way forward with 79 recommendations.

"I wish I had a more positive report to give you, but dealing¹¹ with this intractable problem must begin by swallowing a strong dose of reality," he added.  "And, if our report accomplishes nothing else, it will force the country to face that reality. I believe that the ISG report will frame the debate in our country this coming year, and it will demonstrate that it is possible, even in the poisonous political climate that now exists, to address important national problems in a truly bipartisan manner."

In the president's weekly radio address, Mr. Bush heralded¹² good economic news, with a slight rise in hourly wages.  He also vowed¹³ to work with Democrats who will take charge of Congress next year to eliminate wasteful¹⁴ spending.

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 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 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》

8 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

9 candid   

adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的

参考例句：

• I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
• He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。

10 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 heralded   

v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

14 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。