时差N小时 战争权力决议案

How do we get into wars in the first place? The framers of our Constitution had a clear idea: They gave Congress, the branch closest to the people, the power to declare war, and the President the right to prosecute¹ it.

我们如何发起战争呢？立宪者们描述得很清楚：代表人民群众的国会有发起战争的权利，总统有执行战争的权利。

Going to war, the founders² of our nation believed, should be a shared responsibility. By the time of the Vietnam War, however, Congress had watched a series of presidents send U.S. forces overseas with little or no consultation³ beforehand. So, in 1973, over President Nixon's veto, Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, to claim a stronger role in the decision to send our troops into combat.

我们国家的创始人相信，参加战争应是一份共同的责任。然而到越战时，多任总统在向海外输送兵力之前很少或没有与国会协商。因此在1973年，国会在尼克松总统反对的情况下，仍然通过了《战争权力决议案》，要求在决定是否派兵出战上给予国会更大权利。

The legislation has proven to be seriously flawed, however. Nothing in it actually requires joint⁴ deliberation before going to war, and it contains loopholes that presidents have been only too happy to exploit.

然而事实证明，这项立法具有严重的缺陷。实际上，在开战前没有任何事项需要共同的协商。而且总统也很乐意利用其中含有的漏洞。

Only once, after the Navy ship the Mayaguez was captured by Cambodia in 1975, has a President actually acted pursuant to the War Powers Resolution. Congress has been unable to address the ambiguities⁵ in the measure. So despite its noble attempt more than 30 years ago to restore some balance when it comes to making war, the power remains⁶ largely with the President.

在1975年美国海军船马亚圭斯号在柬埔寨被俘时，总统才依照《战争权力决议案》行动过一次，仅此一次。国会一直没能处理好这种分歧。虽然30年多前国会曾试图缓和这种失衡的现状，但一涉及到战争，总统仍然掌握着大部分权力。

1 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

2 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

3 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

4 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。

5 ambiguities   

n.歧义( ambiguity的名词复数 )；意义不明确；模棱两可的意思；模棱两可的话

参考例句：

• His reply was full of ambiguities. 他的答复非常暧昧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Fortunately, no ambiguities hang about this word or about its opposite, indeterminism. 值得庆幸的是，关于这个词和它的反义词，非决定论都不存在多种解释。 来自哲学部分

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。