VOA标准英语2013--US Diplomat: Military Help Sought During Benghazi Attack

 

US Diplomat¹: Military Help Sought During Benghazi Attack

The attack, and the killing² of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, shocked the nation and sparked calls for an investigation³.  Eight months later, the controversy⁴ and the allegations continue.   

The former deputy head of the U.S. embassy in Tripoli, Gregory Hicks, told lawmakers that a request to airlift additional security forces to Benghazi during the attack was denied.

“They were not authorized⁵ to travel. They remained in Tripoli with us,” Hicks said.

Hicks said he also was told that U.S. aircraft in Italy could not respond in time, leaving him with this chilling thought:

“OK, we are on our own. We are going to have to pull this off with the resources that we have available [in Libya],” he said.

When Susan Rice, Washington's ambassador to the U.N., went on national television and characterized the Benghazi attack as a popular protest. Hicks was dismayed.

“I was stunned⁶. My jaw⁷ dropped. And I was embarrassed,” Hicks said.

Some Republican lawmakers have accused the Obama administration of incompetence⁸ in responding to the Benghazi attack, and of attempting to mislead the American people afterwards.

Democrats⁹ point out that exhaustive reviews of the incident identified security lapses¹⁰ but no intentional¹¹ wrongdoing. Congressman¹² Elijah Cummings sympathized with Gregory Hicks’ desire for U.S. air support over Benghazi.

“If I were in your shoes, I would have wanted them to get there [to Benghazi] yesterday. And that is completely understandable. But the chairman of the joint¹³ chiefs of staff said they simply could not get there quickly,” Cummings said.

The three State Department whistleblowers said they wanted to provide a full accounting¹⁴ of events in Benghazi. Hicks alleged¹⁵ that superiors pressured him against speaking with lawmakers probing the attack. The State Department denies attempting to muzzle¹⁶ anyone.

Diplomatic security officer Eric Nordstrom said the truth matters.

“It matters to me personally. And it matters to my colleagues at the Department of State. It matters to the American public we serve,”  Nordstrom said.

The committee’s chairman, Republican Darrell Issa, agreed. “Our goal in this investigation is to get answers,” Issa said.

Issa said the families of those killed in Benghazi especially deserve answers. But Democrats see politics at play. Once again, Elijah Cummings:

“What we have seen over the past two weeks is a full-scale media campaign that is not designed to investigate what happened in a responsible and bipartisan way, but rather unfounded accusations¹⁷ to smear¹⁸ public officials,” Cummings said.

The Benghazi attack occurred at the height of President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. It could resurface in presidential politics in 2016 if former secretary of state Hillary Clinton decides to run for office. 

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 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。

4 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。

5 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

6 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

7 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

8 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。

9 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》

10 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

11 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

15 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

16 muzzle   

n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默

参考例句：

• He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.他把手枪的枪口放在牙齿中间。
• The President wanted to muzzle the press.总统企图遏制新闻自由。

17 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

18 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。