奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统呼吁参议院履行应尽义务

Hi, everybody. It's now been 45 days since I nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme¹ Court. Judge Garland is a man of experience, integrity, and unimpeachable² qualifications. Judge Garland is someone who Senate Republicans are on record saying is “a man of accomplishment³ and keen intellect;” a man who's “honest and capable;” a man whose “reputation is beyond reproach.” Those are all quotes from Republicans in the Senate.
大家好！自我提名梅里克·加兰德出任最高法院大法官至今已经过去45天了。加兰德法官经验丰富、为人正直，出任这一职位对他而言实至名归。参议院的一些共和党人士称加兰德法官是“一位成就突出、才智出众的人”、是“诚实而有能力的人”、是一位“声誉无可指摘的人”。这些言论都来自于参议院的共和党人之口。
But so far, most Senate Republicans have refused to even meet with Judge Garland. Which means they've also refused to do their job and hold a hearing on his nomination⁴, or an up-or-down vote. But they've still found time to head home for recess⁵ over the next week.
但时至今日，大部分的共和党参议员依然拒绝与加兰德法官会面。这也意味着他们依然不想承担他们的职责，召开关于他的提名的听证会或进行一场表决投票。但再过一周他们就会忙着回家度假了。
This is an abdication⁶ of the Senate's responsibility. Every Supreme Court nominee⁷ since 1875 who hasn't withdrawn⁸ from the process has received a hearing or a vote. For over 40 years, there's been an average of 67 days between a nomination and a hearing. This time should be no different. This is not about partisan⁹ politics–it's about upholding the institutions that make our democracy work.
这是对参议院职责的亵渎。自1875年以来，任何一位最高法院大法官的提名都没有在听证会或投票阶段被撤回。过去的40多年里，从提名到听证会的平均时间间隔是67天。这一次也不应该出现例外。这不是两党政治斗争的问题，而是坚持让我们的民主体系正常运转的问题。
There's a reason Judge Garland has earned the respect of people from both political parties. As a young lawyer, he left a lucrative¹⁰ private firm to work in public service. He went to oversee¹¹ the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing. For the last 19 years, Judge Garland has served on the D.C. Circuit Court–often called “the Second Highest Court in the Land”–and for the past three years, he's served as that court's Chief Judge. In fact, Judge Merrick Garland has more federal judicial¹² experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history. With a brilliant mind, a kind spirit, and a good heart, he has dedicated¹³ his life to protecting our rights, and ensuring that the voices of everyday Americans are heard.
加兰德法官能够赢得两党的共同尊敬是有原因的。作为一名年轻律师，他离开了待遇优厚的私人律所，来到公共部门服务。他曾前往俄克拉荷马市爆炸案现场视察联邦应急处置情况。过去19年里，加兰德法官一直在华盛顿特区巡回法院供职，这一法院通常被称为“全国第二高等法院”，过去的3年里，他还是该法院的首席大法官。实际上，梅里克·加兰德法官拥有比历史上其他最高法院大法官提名人选更多的联邦司法经历。他头脑睿智、善良仁义，他把一生都奉献给保护人民权利的事业，确保每一位美国人都可以表达自己的意见。
So there is absolutely no reason for Republican Senators to deny him the basic courtesy of a hearing and a vote–the same courtesy that has been extended to others. This refusal to treat a Supreme Court nomination with the seriousness it deserves is what makes people so cynical¹⁴ about Washington. That's why poll after poll shows a majority of Americans think Senate Republicans should do their job; give Judge Garland a hearing; and give Judge Garland a vote.
因此，共和党参议员们完全没有理由拒绝为他举行听证会和投票，因为他们为其他人都做到了这一点。这种拒绝严肃对待最高法院大法官提名人选的做法，会让人们对华盛顿嗤之以鼻。正因如此，一轮又一轮的民意测验说明，大部分美国人都认为共和党参议员应该做好自己的工作，给加兰德法官一次听证和投票表决的机会。
For all of our political differences, Americans understand that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. And in the middle of a volatile¹⁵ political season, it is more important than ever that we fulfill¹⁶ our duties–in good faith–as public servants. The Supreme Court must remain above partisan politics. I've done my job–I nominated someone as qualified¹⁷ as Merrick Garland. Now it's time for the Senate to do their job. Give Judge Garland a hearing. Give Judge Garland an up-or-down vote. Treat him–and our democracy–with the respect they deserve.
对于我们在政治上的分歧，美国人民都很清楚，让我们团结在一起的因素比让我们分裂的因素要强大的多。在总统竞选白热化的时期，我们作为公职人员，真心实意地履行我们的职责就显得尤为重要。最高法院的提名人选事宜理应超越党派政治之争。我已经完成了我的工作，我提名梅里克·加兰德这位有资格出任这一职位的人选。现在，轮到参议院做好他们的工作了。请给加兰德法官一次听证、投票的机会。以尊重的心态对待他，以敬畏的心对待我们的民主制度。
Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.
谢谢收听，祝大家周末愉快！

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 unimpeachable   

adj.无可指责的；adv.无可怀疑地

参考例句：

• He said all five were men of unimpeachable character.他说这五个都是品格完美无缺的人。
• It is the revenge that nature takes on persons of unimpeachable character.这是自然对人品无瑕的人的报复。

3 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

4 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。

5 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

6 abdication   

n.辞职；退位

参考例句：

• The officers took over and forced his abdication in 1947.1947年军官们接管了政权并迫使他退了位。
• Abdication is precluded by the lack of a possible successor.因为没有可能的继承人，让位无法实现。

7 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。

8 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

9 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

10 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

11 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

12 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

13 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

14 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

15 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

16 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

17 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。