2007年VOA标准英语-Congressional Oversight of Iraq Policy Increase

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington
27 February 2007
 
watch Iraq Micormanagement

Democrats¹ in the U.S. Congress have taken steps opposing President Bush's policies in Iraq, but have stopped short of binding² legislation that would cut funding for the war.  Nonetheless, lawmakers are being accused of micromanaging the war.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky has this report.

House Democrats this month passed a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's decision to send more than 21,000 additional troops to Iraq.  Republicans blocked a similar resolution in the Senate.  But leading Democrats in both houses have suggested other anti-war measures, including a possible attempt to amend³ the president's authority to wage war in Iraq.

 
Trent Lott (file photo)
Senator Trent Lott, the Senate minority party whip, says tactics used by the Democrats are, as he puts it, "troublesome."  "This is just part of the slow-bleed strategy; non-binding resolution here, hearings there, but eventually leading up to a vote that would cut off the funds," said the senator.

Most Democrats say they are not prepared to cut funding. But Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, the party's 2004 vice⁴-presidential nominee⁵, is calling for just such a policy.

He spoke⁶ on the CBS television network program, "Face the Nation." "I think the Congress should use its authority, its funding authority, to bring down the troop level, get initial an 40,000 to 50,000 out of Iraq, and continue to use that authority to redeploy troops out of Iraq over the next year or so."

 
Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recognizes that Congress has the constitutional right to oversee⁷ White House activities.  However, she says lawmakers are threatening the president's constitutional role as commander in chief, which includes authority to execute policy and to consult with military commanders about their needs. "If you ever disrupt that chain, then you are going to have the worst of micromanagement of military affairs and it has always served us badly in the past."

White House spokesman Tony Snow says the president's troop increase must be given time to work.  Democrats, however, say they are responding to what they say is an anti-war message, which voters made clear in November's general election.

Polls show that ongoing⁸ bloodshed in Iraq has disillusioned⁹ a majority of Americans about the prospects¹⁰ for victory in Iraq.  In the latest violence, Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel-Mahdi, a Shi’ite, was the target of an apparent assassination¹¹ attempt on Monday.  He was hospitalized with bruises¹² from a bomb blast in the Public Works Ministry¹³ in Baghdad.  Also hospitalized is Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who was diagnosed with severe exhaustion¹⁴ and dehydration¹⁵.  Talabani has been engaged in political attempts to stem sectarian violence, which additional U.S. troops will also seek to control.

1 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》

2 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

3 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

10 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。

11 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。

12 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

14 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

15 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。