VOA标准英语2013--Obama Announces New National Security Team

 

Obama Announces New National Security Team

President Obama announced that Susan Rice will move from her current post and replace Tom Donilon as his next national security adviser¹, one of the most powerful posts in Washington.

Rice has been a controversial figure, but Obama said she understands there is no substitute for American leadership.

“So Susan is the consummate² public servant, a patriot³ who puts her country first, she is fearless, she is tough," said Obama. "She has a great tennis game and a pretty good basketball game.”

Rice has been a key adviser to Obama and became his U.N. ambassador in 2009.

She served on the National Security Council as a staff member for Africa when then-President Bill Clinton decided⁴ not to intervene in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.   Clinton later apologized for the inaction.

That experience is said to have influenced Rice on decisions about future military interventions⁶.   

Rice was one of the chief advocates for creating a no-fly zone over Libya, an intervention⁵ that eventually helped overthrow⁷ Moammar Gadhafi.

Rice came under severe criticism from Republicans in Congress for televised remarks following the deadly attacks on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The uproar⁸ caused her to withdraw as a potential candidate for secretary of state.  

Her appointment as national security adviser does not require Senate confirmation⁹ and she looked ahead during her remarks.

"As you have outlined, we have vital opportunities to seize, and ongoing¹⁰ challenges to confront," Rice said. "We have much still to accomplish on behalf of the American people.”

To replace Rice at the U.N., President Obama nominated Samantha Power, who has held key government positions dealing¹¹ with democracy and human rights.  He urged quick Senate confirmation.

“She knows the U.N.’s strengths, she knows its weaknesses, she knows that America’s interests are advanced when we can rally the world to our side, and she knows that we have to stand up for the things we believe in,” Obama stated.

It is unclear whether the changes signal a significant shift in Obama’s foreign policy, particularly in Syria.

Lawrence Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said the new team is more likely to favor arming the rebels. “I think it does increase the chances of us crossing the threshold to get to more lethal¹² or lethal aid, we don’t give any lethal aid right now,” he said.

Rice is not expected to fully¹³ take over her new job until after President Obama’s upcoming trips to Europe and Africa.

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

3 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

4 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。

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

7 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

8 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

13 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。