VOA常速英语2007年-Bush, Democrats Trade Accusations Over Prioriti

By Dan Robinson
Washington
01 November 2007

Democrats¹ and President Bush continue to trade accusations² over national spending priorities. The president again threatened to veto key appropriations³ measures, while the Democratic House speaker accused the president of pursuing failed policies in Iraq, and isolating⁴ himself from Americans and members of his own party. More from VOA's Dan Robinson on Capitol Hill.

For the second time in as many days, the president accused Democrats of what he calls cynical⁵ attempts to force his hand on domestic spending, and nearly $200 billion he has requested for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In a speech at the conservative Heritage Foundation, he launched one of his harshest attacks yet on Democrats, suggesting that they are making Americans more vulnerable to terrorist attacks by refusing to move forward on a range of fronts, including taking action on war funding:

"Politicians who deny that we are at war are either being disingenuous⁶ or naïve. Either way, it is dangerous for our country. We are at war, and we cannot win this war by wishing it away or pretending it does not exist," he said.

Democrats have refused to bring the president's war funding requests to a vote until next year, citing what they describe as his failure to significantly alter his strategy in Iraq.

The president mixed in to his Thursday address complaints about Senate Democrat's delay in bringing the nomination⁷ of his choice for attorney general, Michael Mukasey, to a vote, and another call for Congress to approve changes to warrant-free electronic surveillance against suspected terrorists.

Republicans have joined the president in labeling Democrats irresponsible because they have not been able to pass separate measures and send them to the president.

Both sides continue to accuse each other of blocking bipartisan compromise. Senate Republican whip Trent Lott spoke⁸ earlier in the week. "We are now talking about more political gamesmanship instead of sitting down and working out agreements on these appropriations bills that meet budget requirements that the president has laid down," he said.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi fired back at the president, describing him as detached from the political reality in the country, and in Congress. "We are standing⁹ [working] from a position of great confidence and great bipartisanship on these fights that we are making. The president is not attuned¹⁰ to the majority of the country, and the majority of the Congress," he said.

Democrats also used a rally they staged outside the U.S. Capitol to draw attention to what they view as their major accomplishments¹¹ since winning control of Congress in the 2006 mid-term election.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer heaped blame on President Bush and Republicans for stalling some legislative¹² work. "This do something, new direction Congress has been blocked far too often by a do nothing president and his Republican congressional accomplices," he said.

At the same time, Hoyer and Pelosi point to Republican votes supporting some successful Democratic legislative objectives this year as proof that President Bush's support on Capitol Hill among Republicans has declined.

In the face of presidential veto threats, House Democratic appropriations chairman David Obey changed course from an initial plan to put a fiscal¹³ 2008 defense¹⁴ appropriations bill into a legislative package containing two other measures on health and education, and spending for military veterans.

However, Republicans continued to object to the remaining package, while the president maintained his threat to veto any combined measures reaching his desk.

1 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》

2 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

3 appropriations   

n.挪用（appropriation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• More commonly, funding controls are imposed in the annual appropriations process. 更普遍的作法是，拨款控制被规定在年度拨款手续中。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Should the president veto the appropriations bill, it goes back to Congress. 假如总统否决了这项拨款提案，就把它退还给国会。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 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

5 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

6 disingenuous   

adj.不诚恳的，虚伪的

参考例句：

• It is disingenuous of him to flatter me.他对我阿谀奉承，是居心叵测。
• His brother Shura with staring disingenuous eyes was plotting to master the world.他那长着一对狡诈眼睛的哥哥瑞拉，处心积虑图谋征服整个世界。

7 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。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 attuned   

v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音

参考例句：

• She wasn't yet attuned to her baby's needs. 她还没有熟悉她宝宝的需要。
• Women attuned to sensitive men found Vincent Lord attractive. 偏爱敏感男子的女人，觉得文森特·洛德具有魅力。 来自辞典例句

11 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 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。

13 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

14 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。