voa标准英语2008-Obama-Clinton Relationship Will Bring New Dynami

President-elect Barack Obama is getting generally positive reviews for choosing former rival Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state. But political experts say Clinton's appointment carries the potential of both risk and reward. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
　

President-elect Barack Obama introduces Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) (R) as his choice for secretary of state during a press conference in Chicago, 01 Dec 2008

In announcing his national security team, Mr. Obama said he chose people who share what he called "a core vision," but who would not shy away from debate.

But the president-elect also made it clear that when it comes to foreign policy, his voice will carry the day.

"I am a strong believer in strong personalities¹ and strong opinions," he said. "I think that is how the best decisions are made. But understand, I will be setting policy as president. I will be responsible for the vision that this team carries out and I expect them to implement² that vision once decisions are made. So as [former President] Harry³ Truman said, 'The buck⁴ will stop with me.'"

Hillary Clinton said the decision to give up her seat in the U.S. Senate to accept the post of secretary of state was not easy. But in the end, Clinton decided⁵ that she wanted a new challenge.
　

Hillary Clinton listens as President-elect Barack Obama introduces her as his choice for secretary of state during a press conference in Chicago, 01 Dec 2008

"President Kennedy once said that engaging the world to meet the threats we face was the greatest adventure of our century," she said. "Well Mr. President-elect, I am proud to join you on what will be a difficult and exciting adventure in this new century."

Most experts see advantages for Mr. Obama in having Clinton as his secretary of state.

"Having a secretary of state who can speak for the president, but who also has enormous international stature⁶, is a critical element," said Norman Ornstein, a political scholar at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute. "Hillary Rodham Clinton brings that to the table."

Others see at least the potential for friction⁷ between two former rivals who waged a long and sometimes bitter primary battle for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination⁸ this year.

"The pros⁹ are her abilities and her background. She has traveled all over the world. She has had extensive experience," said James Pfiffner, an expert on the presidency¹⁰ at George Mason University in Virginia. "Also, she has a very positive image around the world. The potential downside, I suppose, is that she is a very independent politician with her own base of support because of her presidential run and, theoretically, there could be conflict."

University of Texas scholar Bruce Buchanan sees the Clinton appointment as a bold but risky¹¹ move by President-elect Obama.

"It is potentially a brilliant move if it works, but the degree of difficulty is high enough to make us necessarily cautious in predicting success," he said.

Professor Buchanan questions whether Senator Clinton will be willing "to subordinate herself" to the new president.

But Buchanan also says the Clinton appointment could have a unifying¹³ effect on the incoming administration.

"Should this work, even though the prospects¹⁴ are uncertain, should this work, what Obama will have done is not only bring to his side a great talent with a high profile who will, for the most part, be well accepted around the world, but will also unify¹² the Democratic Party in a way that you really can't fully¹⁵ do without taking the Clinton's into account in some significant way," he added.

In the past, some presidents have forged close bonds with their secretary of state. Notable examples include President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, and President George H. W. Bush and his longtime friend, James Baker¹⁶.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have had a contentious¹⁷ relationship as political rivals. But Rutgers University expert Ross Baker says that could change.

"I think that she is a very adaptable¹⁸ person," he noted¹⁹. "And I think that she realizes that there is one boss and that is the president of the United States, and that whatever she does as secretary of state has to be in conformity²⁰ with what President Obama wants her to do."

The appointment of presidential rivals as secretary of state is rare, but not unprecedented²¹, in U.S. history.

Presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Harrison all appointed former rivals to the post of secretary of state during their terms of office.

1 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

2 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

3 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。

4 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

7 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

8 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。

9 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

12 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

13 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

14 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。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

16 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

17 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

18 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

19 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。

20 conformity   

n.一致，遵从，顺从

参考例句：

• Was his action in conformity with the law?他的行动是否合法？
• The plan was made in conformity with his views.计划仍按他的意见制定。

21 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。