2006年VOA标准英语-Foreign Policy Issues Dominate US Mid-Term Elec

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
26 October 2006

Mid-term election campaigns in the United States are usually dominated by so-called bread and butter issues - things like jobs, health care and the economy in general.  But there are indications that these concerns are being overshadowed by growing public worries over U.S. foreign policy.

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US Capitol, Washington DC   
  
Former House of Representatives Speaker Tip O'Neill once famously said, "all politics is local," in reference to how citizens are more passionate¹ about and tend to vote for issues that are directly related to their own lives.

This outlook has been the decisive factor in the recent elections, especially mid-term elections that don't include a presidential ballot². But this year, things are shaping up to be different.  By many accounts, American voters are very concerned about foreign affairs.

"It seems quite unusual for a mid-term election, for foreign policy to have this much of an impact.  And it seems to be unprecedented," said Ohio State University political science professor John Mueller.

He thinks the two main foreign policy issues that threaten to overshadow all else are the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the so-called global war on terror.

"Basically, what happens is you've got sort of two wars going on," he added.  "One is sort of like World War II, which is the so-called war on terror, and support for that is unlikely to wane³, since this seems to be a direct attack on the United States, and related to that.  The other is more like a war in Vietnam, or the war in Korea, which would be the war in Iraq.  And so, in that case, as costs go up, you'd expect support for it to go down."

172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers man checkpoint on edge of Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City, Oct. 26, 2006  
  
The Democratic party has been critical of the Bush administration for the Iraq war, and key Democrats⁴ have called for the upcoming elections to be a referendum on the war.  At the same time, Senator John Kerry, the Democratic party's presidential candidate in 2004, recently told Fox News Sunday the Iraq war is also having widespread negative effects on other areas of U.S. foreign policy.

"The problem with Iraq is that it has diminished our hand and reduced our ability to be able to deal with Iran and North Korea," said Mr. Kerry.  "They're related.  One of the reasons North Korea can misbehave the way it is today, is because the U.S. has lost its leverage⁵, lost its credibility, and doesn't have the capacity to bring countries together in the way that it used to."

Public opinion polls show that Americans are increasingly concerned about a negative U.S. image around the world.  The president of the non-partisan research group, Public Agenda, Ruth Wooden, says most of the 1,000 Americans polled in September do not approve of the current direction in which the United States is heading.

"Five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we have eight in 10 Americans who say the world is becoming more dangerous for Americans. Six in 10 say the nation's foreign policy is on the wrong track," she said.

The top foreign policy issue for the Bush administration has been the Iraq war.  President Bush has justified⁶ the fighting there to Americans by saying winning in Iraq is crucial for U.S. security.

 
George W. Bush 
  
"The stakes are high," he said.  "As a matter of fact, they couldn't be higher.  If we were to abandon that country before the Iraqis can defend their young democracy, the terrorists would take control of Iraq and establish a new safe haven⁷ from which to launch new attacks on America."

Meantime, public dissatisfaction over the Iraq war is expected to result in gains for the opposition⁸ Democratic party in Congress.  Kurt Campbell, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies predicts that this, in turn, will lead to a much more assertive⁹ legislature.

"It won't be, 'oh, that's fine.  You go about your business on Iraq, just let us know how it's going," he said.  "Or, tell us about North Korea when you're done with the negotiations¹⁰.'  We're going to have a much more active, much more powerful - not necessarily powerful, but much more cacophonous¹¹ and probably demanding set of voices on Capitol Hill."

Ohio State University's Professor Mueller says public opinion polls he has seen show that this year, nothing else has captured the attention of American voters in quite the same way as the Iraq war.

"Basically, the North Korean thing, the rise of China and some of the other ones, global warming, for that matter, don't seem to have exercised people very much, one way or the other.  Even the Israeli-Lebanon thing, seems to have faded into insignificance¹², considerably," he noted¹³.

When then governor Bill Clinton successfully ran for president in 1992, his campaign focused on addressing domestic economic issues.   This year, though, despite concrete evidence of economic improvements at home, many American voters are also taking into consideration events thousands of kilometers away.

1 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

2 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

3 wane   

n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦

参考例句：

• The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
• Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

6 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

7 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 cacophonous   

adj.发音不和谐的，粗腔横调的

参考例句：

• They produced the most cacophonous beat of pop music. 他们制造了流行音乐最不协调的节拍。 来自辞典例句

12 insignificance   

n.不重要；无价值；无意义

参考例句：

• Her insignificance in the presence of so much magnificence faintly affected her. "她想象着他所描绘的一切，心里不禁有些刺痛。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• It was above the common mass, above idleness, above want, above insignificance. 这里没有平凡，没有懒散，没有贫困，也没有低微。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。