VOA标准英语2008年-Republicans Attack Democratic Policies at Conve

Republicans put their convention back on track Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a televised satellite address from U.S. President George Bush, and speakers who praised the character of Republican nominee¹-to-be John McCain, while sharply attacking Democrats². At the same time, controversy³ about McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate continues to grab headlines, as Republicans rallied behind her and prepared to formally nominate their candidates on Wednesday and Thursday. VOA's Dan Robinson reports.
　
President Bush shown on giant TV screen at Republican convention, 2 Sep 2008

President Bush used a 10 minute satellite address from the White House to praise Senator McCain, citing his defense⁴ of the military surge in Iraq, and describing him as someone who will protect Americans from further terrorist attacks:

"We live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense⁵, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain," he said.

Tuesday's speakers brought a change in atmosphere, as Republicans escalated⁶ criticisms of Democrats and McCain's Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Joe Lieberman, now an Independent who was the Democratic vice⁷ presidential nominee in the 2000 presidential race, said he was appearing in support of McCain because, as he put it, "country matters more than party."
　
Senator Joe Lieberman at Republican convention

Lieberman has drawn⁸ criticism from Democrats in Congress for his strong support of Senator McCain and President Bush's Iraq policies, and had this sharp criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Obama.

"When others were silent about the war in Iraq, John McCain had the guts⁹ and the judgment¹⁰ to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, which would have been a disaster for the U.S.A.," said Lieberman. "When colleagues like Barack Obama were voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion, advocate the surge, support the surge and because of that, today America's troops are coming home, thousands of them, and they're coming home in honor."

John Boehner, Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, accused House and Senate majority Democratic leaders of doing little to solve American's energy and other problems. Representative Michele Bachmann sounded a traditional Republican theme of less government:

BOEHNER: Washington today is broken and the Democratic Congress is its most visible symbol.

BACHMANN: Government is not a philanthropic organization. Government is not the family. And government certainly is not the church.

Fred Thompson, former senator and television actor who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the presidency¹¹, sought to emphasize McCain's credentials¹² as a maverick¹³ who does what he thinks is right, regardless of what others say.

"He has been to Iraq eight times since 2003. He went seeking truth, not publicity¹⁴. When he travels abroad, he prefers quietly speaking to the troops amidst the heat and hardship of their daily lives. And the same character that marked John McCain's military career has also marked his political career. This man, John McCain, is not intimidated¹⁵ by what the polls say or by what is politically safe or popular," he said.

While Republicans want to turn the focus of news headlines back to the main work of their convention, formally nominating McCain as their presidential candidate, he and his advisors¹⁶ are still battling questions about how thoroughly¹⁷ they examined Sarah Palin's background before choosing her as a running mate.

Chosen for her social conservatism and anti-abortion stance among other things, she revealed this week that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter was pregnant, a fact Senator McCain says he knew. She is also the subject of an investigation¹⁸ in Alaska involving firing of a state official.

McCain advisors insist she was thoroughly vetted¹⁹, and have provided journalists with details of the process. But media organizations quoted unidentified Republican party sources as saying Palin was not seriously considered until a week or so before McCain announced the selection.

McCain was pressed again on the issue during a campaign appearance in Cleveland, Ohio. "My vetting²⁰ process was completely thorough and I am grateful for the results," he said.

McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, says family matters should remain personal and not be mixed with politics, a view shared by Obama'S running mate, Senator Joe Biden. "I have a simple proposition. Children are off limits. Children are off limits."

Senator McCain has predicted that Palin's appearance at the Republican convention on Wednesday to accept the vice presidential nomination²¹ will help excite Americans about her candidacy. Republican delegates and others attending the convention expressed continued support for her and applauded McCain's choice.

 

1 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。

2 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》

3 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。

4 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。

5 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

6 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 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。

12 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

13 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

14 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

15 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

17 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

18 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

19 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

20 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

21 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。