2007年VOA标准英语-Iraq Continues Domination of US Democratic Pres

By Jim Malone
Washington
12 February 2007

 
Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion, 11 Feb 2007  
The war in Iraq continues to dominate the early debate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign. Democratic candidates in particular differ on what they would do in Iraq, as we hear from VOA national correspondent Jim Malone in Washington.

Iraq has been a top issue for two leading Democratic candidates in recent days, New York Senator Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Obama officially entered the presidential race on Saturday. Obama is trying to become the first African-American president and drew large crowds in his home state of Illinois and in the early presidential contest state of Iowa.

On Iraq, Obama favors withdrawing U.S. troops from the conflict by March of next year.

"America, it is time to start bringing our troops home. It is time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war," he said.

Like Obama, Hillary Clinton opposes President Bush's troop surge in Iraq. But she has 
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, (D-N.Y.), talks to voters following a town meeting in Keene, New Hamshire, 11 Feb 2007 
so far not endorsed¹ a timeline to withdraw U.S. troops.

During a recent campaign swing, Clinton was pressed by voters in the early contest state of New Hampshire to explain her vote for the war in 2002, when she and 28 other Senate Democrats² authorized³ President Bush to use military force in Iraq.

Clinton is now trying to win over anti-war Democrats, but so far has not met their demands for an apology for her 2002 vote to support the war.

"If I had been president in 2003, I never would have started this war. And if it is still going on when I am president in 2009, I will end it," she said.

Recent public-opinion polls show Clinton the top choice among Democrats for the White House in 2008, with Obama and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards trailing behind. Several other Democrats are in the race, but so far have not been able to make much of an impact in either the polls or in fundraising.

Political experts say that of all the Democratic candidates, Obama is the one, at the moment, who appears to be inspiring Democratic Party activists⁴.

Charles Cook, who publishes a political newsletter in Washington, spoke⁵ on the C-Span public affairs TV network.

"He [Obama] brings an excitement, an energy, a passion and brings in some new folks who have not been active in the Democratic Party. To me, anybody who is in double digits⁶ in the polls, you have to take seriously," said Cook.

Presidential candidates from both major political parties are already spending a lot of time in the early contest states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in hopes of gaining an advantage when the voting begins next January.

In the Democratic Party, anti-war activists could play a significant role in the early caucuses⁷ and primaries.

"Oh, the grassroots, a certain group of Democrats are very strongly against it, have been all along," said Stephen Hess, a political analyst⁸ at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "There is a progressive movement in the United States. It is a minor⁹, modest movement, even in the Democratic Party. But they do tend to vote Democratic and therefore have more influence in the Democratic Party, and consequently the Democratic leadership has to listen to them in a very special way."

In addition to Clinton, Obama and Edwards, other Democrats in the race include Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, Ohio Congressman¹⁰ Dennis Kucinich, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Delaware Senator Joe Biden, retired¹¹ General Wesley Clark and former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel¹².

1 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》

2 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》

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 digits   

n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾

参考例句：

• The number 1000 contains four digits. 1000是四位数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The number 410 contains three digits. 数字 410 中包括三个数目字。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 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

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

11 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。

12 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。