2006年VOA标准英语-US Senate Confirms Hayden as CIA Director

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
26 May 2006

General Michael Hayden (file photo)   
  
The U.S. Senate has confirmed General Michael Hayden as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, despite concerns about a surveillance program he led while head of another agency.

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The Senate action was immediately praised by President Bush, who called General Hayden a patriot¹, saying his broad experience, dedication² and expertise³ make him the right person to lead the CIA.

Senator Pat Roberts, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which approved the nomination⁴ earlier this week, had similar comments about Hayden during floor debate.

"He is eminently⁵ qualified⁶ for this position," said Mr. Roberts.  "He is a distinguished⁷ public servant, as has been noted⁸, who has given more than 35 years of service to his country."

Hayden is a four star general who last served as deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.  

He was confirmed on a 78-15 vote, despite concerns about a National Security Agency surveillance program he led between 1999 and 2005.  Critics, including Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat⁹, have questioned the legality of the program.

"Information has come to light that has raised serious questions about whether the general is the right person to lead the CIA: serious questions about whether the general will continue to be an administration cheerleader, serious questions about his credibility, serious questions about his understanding of and respect for constitutional checks and balances, and the important accountability in government that they create," he said.

The controversial program, which the Bush administration maintains is legal and a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, monitors phone calls between people in the United States and suspected terrorists overseas.  It bypasses a special federal court that had been set up to approve domestic wiretapping operations.

During his confirmation¹⁰ hearings, Hayden sought to assure lawmakers who were concerned about a military general leading a civilian¹¹ spy agency that he would be independent of the Pentagon.

He also vowed¹² to improve morale¹³ at the CIA, shaken by intelligence failures leading up to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, and the run up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Hayden succeeds Porter Goss, whose year-and-a-half tenure¹⁴ at the CIA was marked by the departure of several senior intelligence officers.

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 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

5 eminently   

adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地

参考例句：

• She seems eminently suitable for the job. 她看来非常适合这个工作。
• It was an eminently respectable boarding school. 这是所非常好的寄宿学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 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。

10 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

11 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

12 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。

13 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

14 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。