voa标准英语2008年-Obama Looks To Avoid Transition Stumbles

Monday's meeting at the White House between President George Bush and President-elect Barack Obama is the latest symbol of a presidential transition that appears to be moving ahead smoothly¹, at least initially². VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
　

Barack Obama (r) and George Bush in the Oval Office of the White House, 10 Nov 2008

With the United States facing a major international financial crisis and still engaged in two wars overseas, there are plenty of reasons to ensure the transition from the 43rd president to the 44th is a smooth one.

But the past two Democratic presidents had their share of problems early on, even though both had Democratic majorities in the Congress.

Bill Clinton moved slowly to put his team in place after the 1992 election, and he immediately got bogged³ down in a politically divisive debate over gays in the U.S. military.

Jimmy Carter's transition team prepared well before the 1976 election. But that did not stop in-fighting among White House aides or conflicts among congressional Democrats⁴ early in his administration.
　

Barack Obama (l) and George Bush at the White House, 10 Nov 2008

Already, some experts see the Obama team as better prepared to deal with the transition and the first days of governing.

John Fortier is a political expert at the American Enterprise Institute and a guest on VOA's Encounter program.

"I think Obama actually has a chance to do better, certainly than the last two Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both of whom had very rocky starts even though they had Democratic congresses," said John Fortier.

Former presidents Clinton and Carter were Washington outsiders bent⁵ on reforming government. Fortier says Mr. Obama may have an advantage in having served in the Senate for the past four years.

"Also, Barack Obama seems to be showing that he understands the need for Washington experience," he said. "He did this as a junior senator. Many of our recent presidents have been outsiders who in some ways thumbed their nose at the Washington ways and brought in too many people from their home state."
　

President-elect Obama and President Bush stand together on the West Wing Colonnade6 of the White House in Washington, 10 Nov 2008

Like Clinton and Carter, Obama will have a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress. Democrats in particular have high expectations to quickly change the direction of the country, something they may have to temper early in the new administration.

Tom DeFrank is Washington bureau chief for the New York Daily News who has long covered U.S. presidential politics.

"What I am being told the Obama people are going to do is to start out with things where they are guaranteed legislative⁷ successes, things that will unite the party and will be popular in the country and don't cost a lot of money," said Tom DeFrank.

Obama won the election in large part because Americans want a different approach on the economy, the number one issue in this year's campaign.

Analyst⁸ Stuart Rothenberg expects congressional Democrats to defer⁹ to the new president as he shapes his economic agenda.

"I think the president is going to dictate¹⁰ the agenda early on, and I have a hard time believing that huge elements of the [Democratic] Party are going to reject some of his individual initiatives, especially if they are jobs programs, public works programs and even health care," said Stuart Rothenberg.

Republicans are also offering the president-elect some advice. Ken¹¹ Duberstein worked for former President Ronald Reagan. Duberstein says when Reagan was first elected in 1980, Republicans urged him to take on a wide variety of domestic issues in the early days of his administration.

"And the Reagan answer was, no, we are going to focus the country on one major priority," said Ken Duberstein. "That may have some sub-parts to it, but everything we do is going to be about economic recovery."

Another hopeful sign for this transition is the early cooperation between the Obama team and the Bush White House.

Political expert Norman Ornstein spoke¹² about that on VOA's Press Conference USA program.

"The biggest change is that President Bush, to his everlasting¹³ credit, is stepping in with a new transition council and with a very direct effort to try and bring the team that was elected up to speed on national security issues beginning the day after the election," said Norman Ornstein.

Barack Obama will take the oath of office as the 44th president on January 20 of next year.

1 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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》

5 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

6 colonnade   

n.柱廊

参考例句：

• This colonnade will take you out of the palace and the game.这条柱廊将带你离开宫殿和游戏。
• The terrace was embraced by the two arms of the colonnade.平台由两排柱廊环抱。

7 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

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 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

10 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

11 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

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 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。