2007年VOA标准英语-Two Key Republicans Urge Bush to Make Contingen

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
13 July 2007

Two influential¹ Senate Republicans are calling on President Bush to seek a new war authorization² for U.S. military operations in Iraq.  They are also urging him to draft contingency³ plans in Iraq and report them to Congress by October.  VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia

The former chairmen of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senators John Warner of Virginia and Richard Lugar of Indiana, respectively, offered their proposals in an amendment⁴ to a defense⁵ policy bill.

The amendment calls on President Bush to seek a new rationale for the war authorization by September, when the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is to brief Congress on Iraq. 

In remarks prepared for delivery next week, when the measure is to be debated, Lugar argues that many of the conditions and motivations that existed when Congress authorized⁶ the use of force against Iraq nearly five years ago no longer exist, or are irrelevant⁷ to the current situation.

Senator Richard Lugar is questioned by reporters regarding Iraq on Capitol Hill in Washington, 26 Jun 2007

The amendment also calls on the president to present Congress with contingency plans in Iraq by October 16.   The measure says those plans, which would include a downsizing of U.S. combat forces, should begin by the end of the year.

Senator Lugar first proposed such a plan last month, when he publicly broke with President Bush on Iraq strategy in a speech on the Senate floor:

"Our security interests call for a downsizing and re-deployment of U.S. military forces to more sustainable positions in Iraq or the Middle East," he said.  "Numerous locations for temporary or permanent military bases have been suggested, including Kuwait or other nearby states, the Kurdish territories, or defensible locations in Iraq outside of urban areas."

Senator Warner, too, has expressed concern about the president's strategy in Iraq, but he withheld⁸ proposing the amendment until after the Bush administration sent Congress an interim⁹ report on Iraq.

That report, released Thursday, says the Iraqi government has made progress on just eight of 18 political, military and economic benchmarks.

The Warner-Lugar amendment is one of several expected to be debated next week.
Another is one that calls for a U.S. combat troop withdrawal¹⁰ to begin 120 days after passage, and be completed by next April.  Some troops would remain in Iraq to train Iraqi forces and fight terrorism.

The House of Representatives passed a similar measure Thursday, but prospects¹¹ for Senate passage appear dim.

Supporters, who are overwhelmingly Democrats¹², say the measure would force Iraqis to make the compromises necessary to establish a unity¹⁴ government.

"It is clear that there is now a state of chaos¹⁵ in Iraq, and it is up to the Iraqi people to make themselves safe.  We cannot do it.  It is time that they took care of their own country," said Senate Majority Leader Harry¹⁶ Reid, a Nevada Democrat¹³.

But Republican opponents say setting an arbitrary deadline for a troop pullout before stability is restored to Iraq would only spur more violence.

"If we leave Iraq before the Iraqis can maintain peace and stability, the kind of genocide and killing¹⁷ and terrorism that would ensue would be almost incalculable," Arizona Republican Senator Jon Kyl replied.

Republican Senate leaders are vowing¹⁸ to prevent the troop withdrawal proposal from coming to a vote.  Supporters must get the 60 votes necessary in the 100-member chamber¹⁹ to overcome any effort to halt the legislation, and it appears they do not have the votes.

At the White House, spokesman Tony Snow says congressional efforts to set troop withdrawal deadlines amount to political posturing²⁰:

"A lot of this is trying to lay the groundwork for an election, keep throwing up resolutions and saying, you know, so and so voted against bringing our troops home," he said.  "It is a political play."

President Bush is staunchly opposed to setting troop withdrawal deadlines.

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

3 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

4 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 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。

7 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

8 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 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。

12 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》

13 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。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

15 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。

16 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

17 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。

18 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

19 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

20 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。