VOA常速英语2007年-Hillary Clinton Likely to Be Focus of Upcoming

By Jim Malone
Washington
15 November 2007

Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to be the focus of attention Thursday when the Democratic presidential contenders take part in a debate in Las Vegas, Nevada.  VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.

Clinton heads into the debate leading in public opinion polls, but facing intensified¹ criticism from her Democratic rivals.

At a recent Democratic dinner in the early contest state of Iowa, former Senator John Edwards raised questions about Senator Clinton's credibility. 

"You are in a place to judge who is trustworthy, who is honest, who is sincere," he said.

Clinton has been on the defensive² since the last Democratic debate two weeks ago.  Clinton was asked about a plan to grant driver's licenses³ to illegal immigrants in New York.  At first she seemed to support the idea, then backed away from it.  Clinton's campaign now says she opposes the proposal, which was eventually dropped by New York's governor.

In addition to questioning her credibility, Clinton's rivals have also seized on public opinion surveys that suggest she is the most polarizing contender in the presidential race, liked and disliked by voters in roughly equal numbers.

Senator Barack Obama, who is running second to Clinton in national polls, openly questioned whether she is the strongest Democratic candidate for president on NBC's Meet the Press.

"I believe that it is going to be harder for her to win because I think a lot of voters go in with some preconceptions about her that are going to be very difficult to overcome," he said.

But the intensified attacks seem to have done little damage to Clinton in the polls.  She leads nationally among Democrats⁴ and in the early primary state of New Hampshire.  Clinton, Obama and Edwards are in a close race in Iowa, which kicks off the presidential selection process on January 3.

During a recent speech in Iowa, Clinton urged Democrats to focus their rhetorical fire on Republicans, and not each other.

"We should be turning up the heat on the Republicans!  They deserve all the heat we can give them!" she said.

In the Republican race, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani holds his lead in the latest national polls.  But former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁵ Romney continues to lead in the early contest states of Iowa and New Hampshire over Giuliani, Senator John McCain, former Senator Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.   

1 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

3 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

4 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》

5 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。