2006年VOA标准英语-Democrats Want Changes in Iraq

By Scott Stearns
White House
25 November 2006

When leaders of America's Democratic party take charge of Congress in January they say they will press Iraq's government to take more responsibility for its own security. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, President Bush says he is already moving in that direction ahead of planned talks in the coming week with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

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Following their victory over Republicans in this month's Congressional elections, Democrats¹ say they will push for a change of course in Iraq.

 
Congressman Steny Hoyer
Incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says his party will work with President Bush and Congressional Republicans to forge a new direction in Iraq, because, he says, the current strategy is not working.

"Sectarian violence continues to rage," he said. "Our brave service men and women continue to be maimed and killed."

"And, the war is not making our nation safer, or more secure. In the days ahead, Iraqis must make the tough decisions, and accept responsibility for their future. And the Iraqis must know our commitment, while great, is not unending," he continued.

Hoyer's Democratic radio address was recorded Wednesday, before the latest round of sectarian violence, which has killed more than 200 people.

President Bush says U.S. troops in Iraq are battling terrorists, who Mr. Bush says would come to the United States, if American forces were to withdraw from Iraq prematurely².

The president says he is working with Iraqi leaders to transfer more responsibility for their own security, but has repeatedly said that decisions about U.S. troop levels there must be made by commanders in the field, and not by politicians in Washington.

The president has met with Hoyer and other Democratic leaders since the election, and both sides have vowed³ to work together on Iraq.

 
President Bush 
In the president's weekly radio address, he reflected on this past week's Thanksgiving holiday, saying Americans are grateful for the men and women in uniform who protect American freedoms.

On his way home from an Asian-Pacific economic conference in Vietnam, Mr. Bush met with troops at an Air Force base in Hawaii.

He said, "Our service members there have deployed⁴ around the world - to fight the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, conduct important maritime⁵ exercises in the Pacific, help deliver humanitarian⁶ aid to the victims of disaster and fight drug-trafficking."

"I told the men and women at the base that we're grateful for their bravery and service, and that we will never forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice," President Bush added.

The president travels to Europe in the coming week for a summit of the NATO alliance in Latvia. He will then travel to Jordan for talks with the Iraqi prime minister.

U.S. National Security Advisor⁷ Stephen Hadley says the Bush administration is not looking for what he calls a big, bold announcement from those talks.

Instead, the two men will discuss a joint⁸ commission, established to speed the transfer of more responsibility to the Iraqi government, and how regional states can better support it.

1 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》

2 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

8 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。