2007年VOA标准英语-US Senate Confirms Casey as Army Chief of Staff

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
08 February 2007

The U.S. Senate has confirmed General George Casey, who had been the top American general in Iraq, as Army chief of staff. But the vote was far from unanimous, reflecting congressional concern about how the Iraq war has been waged. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

 
Gen. George Casey, center, is seen on a visit to ground troops in Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, 8 Feb 2007
The Senate voted 83 to 14 to confirm General Casey, with 10 Republicans opposing the nomination¹.

There was some irony² in the debate leading up to the vote. Some members of the Democratic majority, who have criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war, expressed their support for the nominee³, while some Republicans, who have been staunch supporters of the war effort, argued against the nomination.

The Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, endorsed⁴ the four-star general, who has commanded the U.S.-led coalition⁵ in Iraq since June 2004.

 
Carl Levin (file photo)
"General Casey knows Iraq," he said. "He knows the challenges that the army faces there. He also knows the Pentagon, and the challenges he will face there. General Casey has the knowledge to perform his primary responsibilities as chief of staff, which is the training and equipping of soldiers and caring for them and their families."

While expressing his support for Casey, Senator Levin made clear he remains⁶ opposed to President Bush's decision to send additional troops to Iraq.

But Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican and a key supporter of the president's Iraq strategy, strongly opposed Casey's nomination, saying the general misjudged the prospects⁷ of stabilizing⁸ Iraq and has been overly optimistic about the situation in the country.

 
John McCain (file photo) 
"I have questioned in the past and question today a number of the decisions and judgments⁹ that General Casey has made over the past two and a half years. During that time, conditions in Iraq have gotten markedly and progressively worse. The situation can now best be described as dire¹⁰ and deteriorating," he said.

But Levin said General Casey merely implemented¹¹ decisions made by top civilian¹² leaders in the Bush administration, including the president, and should not be held accountable for their failed policy in Iraq.

"To vote against him because of the major mistakes which led to this chaos¹³, which were not the uniformed leaders' mistakes, but civilian leaders' mistakes, it seems to me is inappropriate, unfair," he said.

 
Sen. John Warner, right, asks a question during committee hearing on nomination of Gen. George W. Casey to become Army Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill, 1 Feb 2007 
The top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Senator John Warner of Virginia, who also opposes the president's troop surge plan, agreed with Levin. He noted¹⁴ that General Casey admitted during his confirmation¹⁵ hearings that errors were made in the execution of the war.

"He recognizes mistakes were made," he said. "I think he has accepted that level of accountability he as a military officer had. But indeed, it is the civilians¹⁶ above him, if there is greater wrong, that should be held accountable."

Warner has sponsored a non-binding resolution expressing disagreement with the president's decision to send more combat troops to Iraq. But he joined his fellow Republicans earlier this week in blocking the measure from getting Senate action in an effort to pressure Democratic leaders to allow other Republican-sponsored resolutions to come to a vote on the Senate floor.

Casey succeeds retiring General Peter Schoomaker as Army chief of staff.

Casey has been replaced as top commander in Iraq by General David Petraeus.

 
Adm. William Fallon on Capitol Hill, 30 Jan 2007
Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Admiral William Fallon as chief commander of U.S. Central Command - a post in which he will oversee¹⁷ military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate also confirmed retired¹⁸ Navy Admiral Mike McConnell to replace John Negroponte as director of national intelligence.

The Senate approved the nominations¹⁹ of Fallon and McConnell on voice vote with no debate.

1 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。

2 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

3 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。

4 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》

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 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。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

8 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

9 judgments   

判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判

参考例句：

• A peculiar austerity marked his judgments of modern life. 他对现代生活的批评带着一种特殊的苛刻。
• He is swift with his judgments. 他判断迅速。

10 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

11 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

12 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

15 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

16 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

17 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

18 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

19 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