VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Accuses Bush, McCain of Launching Divisiv

By Jim Malone
Washington
16 May 2008

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama strongly criticized President Bush and Republican rival John McCain Friday for what he called appalling¹, dishonest and divisive attacks. Obama's comments at a campaign rally in South Dakota came one day after the president compared those who would negotiate with terrorists and radicals² to the appeasers of Nazi³ Germany before World War II. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest from Washington.

Foreign policy returned front and center to the U.S. election campaign Friday as Senator Obama sought to rebut⁴ comments President Bush made before the Israeli Knesset the day before.

"He accused me and other Democrats⁵ of wanting to negotiate with terrorists, and said we were appeasers no different from people who appeased⁶ Adolf Hitler," said Obama. "That is what George Bush said in front of the Israeli parliament. Now that is exactly the kind of appalling attack that has divided our country and alienates⁷ us from the world. And that is why we need change in Washington, that is part of the reason I am running for president of the United States of America."

White House officials said the president's remarks were not directed at Senator Obama, and that Mr. Bush had in mind those who have proposed direct talks with Hamas and Hezbollah, groups the U.S. government has branded as terrorist organizations.

"We have heard this foolish delusion⁸ before," said President Bush. "We have an obligation to call this what it is, the false comfort of appeasement⁹."

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee¹⁰, Senator John McCain, was more direct in addressing Obama's proposal for direct talks with Iran and other U.S. adversaries¹¹ abroad.

"It is a serious error on the part of Senator Obama," said McCain. "It shows naivete and inexperience and lack of judgment¹²."

In South Dakota Friday, Obama accused both the president and Senator McCain of dishonest, divisive and fear mongering attacks that do nothing to make the United States safer from terrorist attacks.

"If George Bush and John McCain want to have a debate about protecting the United States of America, that is a debate I am happy to have anytime, anyplace, and that is a debate I will win because George Bush and John McCain have a lot to answer for," said Obama.

The controversy¹³ over the president's remarks in Israel also brought support from Obama's rival for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination¹⁴, Senator Hillary Clinton.

"I think what President Bush did was to make an outrageous¹⁵ and deeply offensive comparison," she said. "I just reject it out of hand, and I think any fair-minded American will reject it out of hand."

Clinton and Obama face two more primary contests Tuesday, one in Kentucky and the other in Oregon. Clinton is ahead in the polls in Kentucky while Obama has a lead in Oregon.

The primary season ends on June 3, and there appears to be virtually no chance that Clinton will catch up to Obama in the overall delegate count by then.

Despite Clinton's impressive victory earlier this week in the West Virginia primary, Obama continues to add the support of so-called superedelegates, Democratic officeholders and party activists¹⁶ who can vote for either candidate.

Neither Obama nor Clinton can secure the Democratic nomination without winning a majority of the remaining uncommitted superdelegates.

1 appalling   

adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions.恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• Nothing can extenuate such appalling behaviour.这种骇人听闻的行径罪无可恕。

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 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。

4 rebut   

v.辩驳，驳回

参考例句：

• He attempted to rebut the assertions made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳控方证人所作的断言。
• This open letter is to rebut the argument of abstractionism.这封公开信是反驳抽象派论点的。

5 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》

6 appeased   

安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争）

参考例句：

• His hunger could only be appeased by his wife. 他的欲望只有他的妻子能满足。
• They are the more readily appeased. 他们比较容易和解。

7 alienates   

v.使疏远( alienate的第三人称单数 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• The new teacher alienates the children by behaving prissily. 这位新老师因表现拘谨而疏远了学生。 来自互联网
• What alienates him from the house? 什么东西使他远离这所房子呢？ 来自互联网

8 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。

9 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

10 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。

11 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

12 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

13 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

14 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。

15 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

16 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》