Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has defended her experience and taken a tough stance on national security issues in a much-anticipated interview. The Alaskan governor was a virtual unknown on the national stage when picked by Republican presidential nominee John McCain in late August, and his campaign has sheltered her from reporters' and voters' questions - until now.
美国共和党副总统侯选人萨拉·佩林在人们期待已久的一次电视采访中对她的从政经历进行了辩护，并且在国家安全问题上表达了强硬的立场。佩林现任阿拉斯加州州长，在今年8月共和党总统侯选人麦凯恩挑选她担任竞选搭档以前，在全国政治舞台上鲜为人知。直到这次接受电视采访之前，麦凯恩竞选班子也一直避免让她在媒体和选民面前曝光。
Governor Sarah Palin has served just two years as Alaska's governor and obtained her first passport to travel to visit U.S. troops in Kuwait and Germany last year. But she told ABC News' Charlie Gibson in an exclusive interview that she did not hesitate for a moment when Senator McCain asked her to serve as his running mate.
萨拉·佩林担任阿拉斯加州州长只有两年的时间，而且只是在去年才拿到第一个出国护照，前往科威特和德国探望美国军队官兵。但是在接受美国广播公司电视新闻主持人查理·吉普森专访的时候，佩林表示，当麦凯恩参议员邀请她成为竞选搭档的时候，她没有丝毫犹豫。
"I answered [McCain] 'yes,' because I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink, you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink," Palin said.
她说：“我给了他肯定的答复，因为我有信心对此做好了准备，同时也知道我不能有丝毫的犹豫。我必须做好准备，献身于我们的使命，那就是改革我们的国家，赢得战争的胜利。”
The interview focused on national security.
采访的主题是国家安全。
Palin called Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia "unprovoked" and "unacceptable." Asked if the United States would have to go to war with Russia if Russia invaded Georgia again, Palin had this response.
佩林表示，俄罗斯对邻国格鲁吉亚的入侵是“没有受到挑衅的”，也是“不可接受的”。当问到如果俄罗斯再次入侵格鲁吉亚，美国是否不得不和俄罗斯交战的时候，佩林回答说：
"Perhaps so," she said. "I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help."
她说：“或许如此。我的意思是说，这就是北约的协议。如果一个国家受到攻击，其他国家理应提供帮助。”
Palin said she favors the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO.
佩林说，她赞成前苏联加盟共和国格鲁吉亚和乌克兰加入北约组织。
ABC News Anchor Gibson also asked Palin several times whether or not U.S. forces have the right to make cross-border attacks into Pakistan with or without the approval of the Pakistani government. Palin responded, several times, with a more general statement, and declined to give a "yes" or "no" answer.
美国广播公司电视新闻主播吉普森还几次询问佩林，美国部队在得到或者没有得到巴基斯坦政府同意的情况下是否有权越境进入巴基斯坦发动攻击。佩林每次都做出比较泛泛的回答，而没有直接表示“可以”或者“不可以”。
"In order to stop Islamic extremists, those terrorists, who would seek to destroy America and our allies, we must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink," said Palin.
她说：“为了阻止伊斯兰极端主义分子，也就是那些试图摧毁美国和我们盟友的恐怖主义分子，我们必须采取一切必要措施，我们不能犹豫不决。”
Her running mate, Senator McCain, has criticized Democratic Presidential nominee, Senator Barack Obama, for advocating U.S. cross-border strikes into Pakistan, with or without government consent, if valuable terrorist targets are found.
佩林的竞选夥伴、共和党总统候选人麦凯恩批评其竞争对手奥巴玛参议员主张在发现有价值的恐怖主义目标之后，美国军队可以在得到或者没有得到巴基斯坦政府同意的情况下，进入巴基斯坦境内发动攻击。
Part of the interview was aired on September 11, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, and the day that Palin, the mother of five, attended a deployment ceremony for her oldest son. He is an Army infantryman whose unit is being shipped off to the war in Iraq later this month.
对佩林的采访的部分内容是在美国遭受恐怖袭击的911事件周年纪念日当天播出的。作为五个孩子的母亲，佩林在这一天还出席了她的长子所在部队的部署仪式。她的长子是一名陆军步兵，所在部队将在本月晚些时候前往伊拉克。
Opinion polls show that adding Palin to the ticket has given McCain's campaign a big boost. Palin has attained an instant "celebrity status", similar to the popularity of Obama. She has been appearing on the campaign trail with McCain this week, drawing much larger crowds than he drew on his own.
民意调查结果显示，挑选佩林作为共和党副总统侯选人使得麦凯恩的竞选活动声望大增。和奥巴玛相似的是，佩林几乎“一夜成名”。这个星期，佩林一直和麦凯恩一同进行竞选，在每个地方吸引的选民人数都比麦凯恩单独竞选时吸引的支持者多很多。
Palin's interview with ABC is the only one the McCain campaign has scheduled so far.
佩林接受美国广播公司的采访是到目前为止麦凯恩竞选班子安排的唯一一次采访。 |