Obama Will Not Release bin Laden Death Photo

     President Barack Obama decided¹ Wednesday not to release photographs of al-Qaida terror network leader Osama bin² Laden³ after he was shot and killed.  The president’s decision ended three days of debate on the issue within his administration.

    White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president made the decision not to release the photos of Osama bin Laden’s body for several reasons.

    Carney read excerpts⁴ from the transcript⁵ of an interview Mr. Obama gave to CBS television earlier Wednesday.  According to Carney, the president said he is concerned that making the gruesome images public could damage U.S. national security.  "It is important for us to make sure that very graphic⁶ photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement(煽动刺激) to additional violence or as a propaganda tool.  That is not who we are.  We do not trot⁷ out this stuff as trophies," he said.

    Carney said the president told the interviewer that there is no doubt among al-Qaida members that bin Laden is dead.  The White House spokesman quoted Mr. Obama as saying, "You will not see Osama bin Laden walking on this Earth again."Carney told reporters that the president has held his position on the issue very firmly, and that Defense⁸ Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed with his decision to not to disclose the pictures.

    But CIA Director Leon Panetta, whom Mr. Obama has chosen to be the next defense secretary, said publicly, several times before the decision was announced, that the photographs should be released.

    Whether the president should make the pictures public also caused some disagreement on Capitol Hill.

    Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that keeping the photographs from the public would be a mistake.  Another Republican Senator, Kelly Ayotte, said that doing so will foster doubts that bin Laden is really dead. "We have seen that in many instances around the world, there can be conspiracy⁹ theories about these types of events.  And so, I think it is important in terms of closure that, while nobody wants to see disturbing photos, the closure aspect of it, I think, is very important," he said.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 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。

2 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

3 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 excerpts   

n.摘录，摘要( excerpt的名词复数 )；节选（音乐，电影）片段

参考例句：

• Some excerpts from a Renaissance mass are spatchcocked into Gluck's pallid Don Juan music. 一些文艺复光时期的弥撒的选节被不适当地加入到了格鲁克平淡无味的唐璜音乐中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is editing together excerpts of some of his films. 他正在将自己制作的一些电影的片断进行剪辑合成。 来自辞典例句

5 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

6 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

7 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

8 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。

9 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。