VOA常速英语2007年-US Presidential Contenders Earn High-Profile En

By Jim Malone
Washington
17 December 2007

U.S. presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and John McCain are looking to benefit from some high-profile endorsements² with a little more than two weeks to go until the first campaign test in Iowa on January 3. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Clinton won the endorsement¹ of the Des Moines Register newspaper, which described her as best prepared among the Democratic contenders to confront the nation's challenges.

Clinton was asked about it on NBC's Today program.

"It made the case that what we need right now in America is proven leadership, the kind of leadership that I have offered making positive change for 35 years," she said.

Clinton is engaged in a tight three-way battle in Iowa with Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

Iowa kicks off the presidential primary season January 3 with its party caucuses⁴.

Clinton and her surrogates continue to question whether Obama has enough experience to be president.

Former President Bill Clinton was interviewed on The Charlie Rose program on PBS.

"When is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running," asked the former president.

Obama argues that he is an agent of change and is now the target of Clinton attacks because his message is catching⁶ on with voters.

"When I was 20 points down, they all thought I was a wonderful guy," said Obama. "So obviously, things have changed."

Obama won the endorsement of the Boston Globe newspaper, which has a large readership in the neighboring early primary state of New Hampshire.

In the race for the Republican Party presidential nomination⁷, Senator John McCain of Arizona is looking for a boost from endorsements from two major newspapers and one prominent former Democrat³.

Both the Des Moines Register and the Boston Globe endorsed⁸ McCain among the Republican contenders. McCain also won the endorsement of longtime friend and fellow Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

Lieberman ran as the Democratic Party's vice⁵ presidential nominee⁹ in 2000, but last year won re-election as an independent.

McCain told NBC's Today program the endorsements should help to re-energize a campaign trying to overcome staff and fund-raising problems earlier in the year.

"They say, 'Hey, I will have another look at this person, I will have another look at McCain and see why they are saying what they are about him', and I think that gives me an opportunity," he said.

Experts say political endorsements are of questionable¹⁰ value in the modern campaign era.

"The Lieberman endorsement has to be seen as a plus for McCain, but it is difficult to see how this translates into many votes in the Republican primaries and caucuses," said Larry Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

McCain and the other Republican hopefuls are trying to blunt a surge by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Huckabee emerged from relative obscurity earlier this year to vault¹¹ to the top of the latest polls in Iowa over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹² Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee.

Thompson spoke¹³ about the importance of the Iowa caucuses on January 3 with the CBS program Face the Nation.

"Yes, we need to do well in Iowa, there is no question about that," said Thompson. "But others do too."

Clinton and Giuliani had been seen as the frontrunners for their party nominations¹⁴ for much of the year. But as the actual voting draws near, the uncertainty¹⁵ in both parties appears to be growing.

Some analysts¹⁶ believe whichever candidate can offer change will have the best chance to win.

Richard Wolffe, White House correspondent for Newsweek magazine, was a recent guest on VOA's Issues in the News program.

"What we are in is a moment of change," he said. "Whoever on the Democratic or Republican side can lay claim to change, I think, is going to win in November, and it could be a Republican, it could be a Democrat."

Presidential contenders from both political parties are focused on the early contest states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, all of which take place in January.

Historically, candidates who do well early in the primary process tend to wind up winning their party nominations.

1 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

2 endorsements   

n.背书( endorsement的名词复数 )；（驾驶执照上的）违章记录；（公开的）赞同；（通常为名人在广告中对某一产品的）宣传

参考例句：

• He must make much money on those tennis shoe endorsements he does. 他替那些网球鞋珍重广告，就赚了不少钱。 来自互联网
• But celebrity endorsements remain an important promotional tool for marketers. 尽管如此，邀明星助阵仍是营销人员重要的推广手段之一。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

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 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

10 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

11 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

12 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。

13 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。

14 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

15 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

16 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。