2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Launches New Campaign to Win Support

By Paula Wolfson
White House
13 March 2006

President Bush has launched a new campaign to win support for the Iraq war at, what he calls, "a difficult time." VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House he is urging Americans to look beyond the images of violence coming from Iraq and see the progress that is being made.

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George Bush delivers remarks to The Foundation for the Defense¹ of Democracies at George Washington University, March 13, 2006  
  

President Bush says the situation in Iraq is still tense, and the work ahead will be hard. But he says the stakes are high, and urges patience on the part of the American people.

"The terrorists are losing on the field of battle so they are fighting this war through the pictures we see on television and in the newspapers everyday," he said. "They are hoping to shake our resolve and force us to retreat. They are not going to succeed."

The president says the February 22 bombing of a Shi'ite mosque² in Iraq could have led to civil war. He says Iraq's leaders, its people and its fledgling security force were all tested, and displayed a strong will to move forward.

In the first of a series of speeches linked to the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Mr. Bush said Iraqis have learned the only path to peace is through unity³. He said that is a lesson that must come into play as the heads of various political factions⁴ seek to form a new government in the wake of the mosque bombing.

"Iraq's leaders know that this is not the last time they will be called to stand together in the face of an outrageous⁵ terrorist attack," he said. "Iraq's leaders know they must put aside their differences, reach out across political, religious and sectarian lines and form a unity government that will earn the trust and confidence of all Iraqis."

The president said the Iraqi police and military are also seeking diversity, and are trying to recruit more Sunnis. He said training has also been stepped up, and he praised the Iraqi security forces who acted to quell⁶ violence and keep tempers in check after the mosque attack.

"In the weeks since the bombing, the Iraqi security forces turned in a strong performance," he said. "From the outset, Iraqi forces understood that if they failed to stand for national unity, the country would slip into anarchy⁷."

The president acknowledged that some Iraqi units did not perform as well as others, but he appeared confident that with time Iraq will be able to meet its own security needs.

He said one of the biggest challenges facing coalition⁸ and Iraqi troops is dealing⁹ with the home-made explosive devices used by terrorists and insurgents¹⁰ that can be detonated from a safe distance. He said some of the most powerful ones encountered by coalition forces were made in Iran.

"Such actions along with Iran's support for terrorism and its pursuit of nuclear weapons are increasingly isolating¹¹ Iran, and America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats," the president said.

This new series of speeches comes at a time of low public approval ratings for the Bush presidency¹² in general, and his Iraq policy in particular.

But critics were not to be found in the university auditorium¹³ where the president delivered Monday's address. His audience was chosen by members of a private organization friendly to the White House: the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

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 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

5 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

6 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

7 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 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。

10 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

11 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

12 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

13 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。