2007年VOA标准英语-Senators Question Top Bush Official About Domes

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
18 January 2007

U.S. senators Thursday expressed frustration¹ with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for not being more forthcoming about details relating to the Bush administration's decision to place its controversial wiretapping program under court review.   The attorney general faced tough questioning when he appeared before a Senate panel Thursday, as VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

 
Alberto Gonzales testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee, 18 Jan 2007

The surveillance program was established after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and allowed the National Security Agency to monitor, without court warrants, phone calls and e-mails between suspected terrorists overseas and people in the United States.  The Bush administration defended the program, but many in Congress questioned its legality.

The administration Wednesday reversed itself and notified Congress that the wiretapping program would now be subject to review by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Attorney General Gonzales faced repeated questions about how the court review would work in his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

For example, Senator Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat², wanted to know if the court review was mandatory³ or voluntary, and whether it would be directed at individuals or groups of people.

The attorney general refused to answer such questions, saying publicizing such information would undermine the program.

 
Alberto Gonzales testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee, 18 Jan 2007
"There is going to be information about operational details about how we are doing this that we want to keep confidential," he said.

Senator Schumer said he was not asking for operational details, but an idea about how broadly the program would be conducted.

"If there were a new spirit of cooperation and understanding of the checks and balances and balances of power sir, you would be more forthcoming to try to show the American people that this is a real change?" he asked.

The top Republican on the committee, Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, asked why it took so long for the administration to put the surveillance program under the review of the special court.  He suggested the controversy⁴ over the program may have been a factor in Republicans' losing control of Congress in last November's election.

"I believe the United States and the administration paid a heavy price for not acting⁵ sooner to bring the terrorist surveillance program under judicial⁶ review," said Mr. Specter.  "That is the traditional way, before there is a wiretap or search and seizure⁷ to have probable cause established and to have court approval.  We lost a close election.  I would not want to get involved in what was cause and effect, but the heavy criticism which the president took on the program I think was very harmful in the political process and for the reputation of the country."

Across Capitol Hill, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told the House Intelligence Committee that it was always the administration's intention to put the program under court review, even before its existence was revealed in a New York Times article more than a year ago.

"The discussion of whether to bring this matter and try to work something out with the FISA court is something that predated the public revelations of the program in December of 2005," he said.

The House and Senate Intelligence Committees have been briefed about the new court review.

Attorney General Gonzales offered to provide a similar briefing to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.

Senator Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, raised another issue with the attorney general: the case of Maher Arar.

Arar is a Canadian citizen, who was detained in New York as he was returning home from vacation in 2002, on suspicion of ties to terrorism.  He was deported⁸ to Syria, where he was held for 10 months and reportedly tortured.

Arar was returned to Canada, where the government there determined⁹ he had no ties to terrorism.  

The matter elicited¹⁰ this exchange between Attorney General Gonzales and a furious Senator Leahy.

GONZALES:  "There were assurances sought that he would not be tortured from Syria."

LEAHY:  "Attorney General, I am sorry, I do not mean to treat this lightly.  We knew damn well if he went to Canada he would not be tortured.  If he were held, he would be investigated.  We also knew damn well that if he went to Syria he would be tortured, and it is beneath the dignity of this country, a country that has always been a beacon¹¹ of human rights, to send somebody to another country to be tortured.  You know and I know that has happened in the past five years by this country.  It is a black mark on us.  It has brought about the condemnation¹² of some of our closest and best allies."

Senator Leahy said the United States continues to have Arar on a watch list of suspected terrorists, and demanded to know why.

Gonzales said he could not comment now, but that he would be able to provide more information about the case as early as next week.

1 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

2 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。

3 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

4 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。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

7 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

8 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 elicited   

引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Threats to reinstate the tax elicited jeer from the Opposition. 恢复此项征税的威胁引起了反对党的嘲笑。
• The comedian's joke elicited applause and laughter from the audience. 那位滑稽演员的笑话博得观众的掌声和笑声。

11 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

12 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。