VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Rejects 'False Political Attack' by Bush

By Cindy Saine
Washington
15 May 2008

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has accused U.S. President George Bush of launching what he termed "a false political attack" on him. Mr. Obama was reacting to comments Mr. Bush made in Israel about appeasing¹ dictators. The White House denies that the president's comment was directed at Senator Obama, but the remarks have created a political storm among Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Speaking to Israel's parliament Thursday, President Bush strongly rejected the idea of negotiating with foreign leaders or radicals² that are considered enemies of the United States.

"Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," said President Bush. "We have heard this foolish delusion³ before. As Nazi⁴ tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement⁵, which has been repeatedly discredited⁶ by history."

President Bush did not mention any names, but a number of prominent Democratic leaders perceived the remark as a veiled attack on Senator Obama, who has said if he was president he would be willing to negotiate with Iranian leaders if they would end their nuclear weapons program and support for terrorists.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the president's comments were beneath the dignity of the office. Democratic Senator Carl Levin also responded.

"For him to use purple prose such as somebody is appeasing, it seems to me is totally inappropriate," said Senator Levin. "And if there was any effort to suggest that the difference over how to fight terrorism amounts to anything other than a difference over tactics rather than a difference over goals, is way out of place, wrong inappropriate, and I would hope that that is not what he said."

Senator Obama issued a statement saying "the president's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel."

Senator John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to President Bush, said if the president believes engagement with Iran is appeasement, he should demand the resignation of members of his own cabinet, since Secretary Gates and Secretary Rice have both favored negotiations⁷ with Iran.

 

Obama has said that a complete refusal to meet with those leaders who are at odds⁸ with the United States does not help solve diplomatic problems.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters in Israel that Mr. Bush's comment was not a reference to Senator Obama, and said the speech was not about 2008 politics.

The rhetorical clash comes just hours after Obama picked up a long-awaited endorsement⁹ from his one time Democratic rival for the nomination¹⁰, former Senator John Edwards. The endorsement already seems to be paying off for Senator Obama, who has picked up four of the former senator's 19 delegates and the endorsement of the United Steelworkers Union, which had formally supported Edwards.

1 appeasing   

安抚，抚慰( appease的现在分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• Mr. Chamberlain had cherished the hope of appeasing and reforming him and leading him to grace. 张伯伦先生则满心想安抚他，感化他，教他温文知礼。
• A pleasing preacher is too often an appeasing preacher. 一昧讨好的传道人通常是姑息妥协的传道人。

2 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

3 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

4 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

5 appeasement   

n.平息，满足

参考例句：

• Music is an appeasement to shattered nerves. 音乐可抚慰受重创的神经。
• There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. 对残暴行为是不能姑息的。 来自演讲部分

6 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

9 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

10 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。