VOA常速英语2007年-Focus of US Presidential Race Shifts to Foreign

By Jim Malone
Washington
28 December 2007

The assassination¹ of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto appears to have shifted the focus of the U.S. presidential race to national security and foreign policy issues. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Presidential contenders from both parties were trying to shore up their foreign policy credentials² in the wake of the Bhutto assassination.

For former Massachusetts Governor Mitt³ Romney, the important thing is a president's ability to lead the country through crisis.

Romney is seeking the Republican Party's presidential nomination⁴ and appeared on NBC's Today program.

"What we want in a leader is a person who can actually guide America in a very challenging time," he said.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said the Bhutto killing⁵ was a reminder⁶ of the threat that terrorism still poses worldwide.

"We cannot wish it away. We have to face it and we have to face it by being on offense⁷ and being alert and being able to deal with it in many different places," he said.

Giuliani has made the war on terror a central focus of his campaign, as has Senator John McCain of Arizona.

McCain told The Early Show on CBS that despite the current political turmoil⁸, Pakistan remains⁹ a key U.S. ally in the war on terror.

"Without their assistance in Afghanistan, Pakistan could be a haven¹⁰ for the Taliban as well as the Islamic extremists having greater influence in Pakistan itself," McCain said. "America's national security interests are heavily engaged here."

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee told MSNBC television that as president he would urge Pakistan to give the United States a freer hand in pursuing terrorists.

"One of the things we should do is to put more pressure on the Musharraf government to either take action against those terrorist bases or give us the kind of 'carte blanche' that we need to take action on the targets that we have discovered," he said.

Huckabee is leading the Republican field in Iowa, which kicks off the 2008 presidential election season with its presidential caucuses¹¹ for both parties on January 3.

The Bhutto assassination also generated a lot comment from the Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. He spoke¹² on CBS television.

"I would make sure that we let the Pakistani people, the vast majority of whom are moderate, know that we are going to have a long term Pakistani policy with significant economic assistance to them to give that moderate majority an opportunity," he said.

Biden is hoping voters will appreciate his years of experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina is one of three Democrats¹³ near the top of the polls in Iowa.

Edwards emphasized presidential leadership in the wake of the Bhutto assassination.

"It is very important under these circumstances in these kind of times for America to show both strength and principle," he said.

Edwards is challenging the long-presumed Democratic frontrunner, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, who has been emphasizing her experience.

"I have known Benazir Bhutto for a dozen years and I knew her as a leader," she said.

For weeks now, Clinton has argued that her experience as first lady and senator give her an advantage over her chief rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

Obama counters that what the country needs is not another candidate with Washington experience, but someone who offers the country a change in direction and priorities.

"The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result," he said.

Many experts expect that the Bhutto assassination will cause some voters to refocus on the issues of terrorism, national security and foreign policy in general.

Public opinion polls suggest voters have been most concerned with the war in Iraq, economic concerns such as the rising cost of health care, and tightening¹⁴ U.S. borders to reduce illegal immigration.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

3 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。

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 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

8 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

11 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

12 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。

13 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》

14 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。