2006年VOA标准英语-US Democratic Party Split Over Iraq

By Jim Malone
Washington
16 June 2006

Opposition¹ Democrats² are counting on public disenchantment with the Iraq war to help them make gains in U.S. congressional elections in November. Democrats are divided over what to do about Iraq.

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Those divisions were on display in Washington recently as prominent Democrats appeared before a group of liberal Democratic activists³ to talk about Iraq and other issues.

 

Senator John Kerry (file photo)   
  

Among them was Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee⁴ for president, who may run for the White House again two years from now.

Senator Kerry initially⁵ voted for the war, but now is among those who favor setting a firm timetable for the withdrawal⁶ of U.S. forces from Iraq.

"I believe we need a hard and fast deadline, not an open-ended commitment of U.S. forces, so that we shift responsibility, and demand responsibility from the Iraqis themselves," he said.

The reception was notably⁷ more mixed for another likely Democratic presidential contender in 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York.

 
Hillary Clinton (file photo) 
  
Senator Clinton also voted for the Iraq war, and has been critical of President Bush's handling of the conflict.

But she disagreed with those Democrats who favor a timetable for withdrawal, prompting a number of boos in the liberal audience.

"Nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain," she said. "I do not agree that that is in the best interests of our troops or our country."

President Bush and his Republican supporters have been quick to seize on the Democrats' internal debate.

George Bush during a White House press conference, June 14, 2006   
  
"There is an interesting debate in the Democratic Party about how quick to pull out of Iraq," he said. "Pulling out of Iraq before we accomplish the mission will make the world a more dangerous place."

Public opinion polls suggest most Democrats oppose the Iraq war, and believe that ousting⁸ Saddam Hussein was not worth the cost.

"There are many different positions in the Democratic Party, though I would say that the party overwhelmingly is opposed to the Iraq war, and wants to see a schedule announced of withdrawal," said Larry Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "They differ about how quickly the withdrawal should take place, but, overwhelmingly, they are in favor of a withdrawal."

But even some Democratic strategists concede that the party's divided position on Iraq could be a liability in the November congressional elections.

Jennifer Palmieri worked in the Clinton White House, and is now with the Center for American Progress, a public policy research organization in Washington.

"The problem for Democrats is that, it is true that they have not been able to articulate a national message that breaks through to voters," she said.

Analyst⁹ Larry Sabato expects the Democratic debate over Iraq to continue well into the 2008 campaign for president.

"You can't really expect an out of power party to have a unified¹⁰ position," he said. "There is no one to unify¹¹ them. They will not get unified, until they pick a presidential candidate, and then that nominee will become the public face of the party and the positions of the party."

Iraq is likely to be a prominent issue for both parties in the 2008 presidential race. For the first time since 1952, no sitting president or vice president will be running in 2008, indicating a wide open race for the White House in both major political parties

1 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。

2 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》

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

8 ousting   

驱逐( oust的现在分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• The resulting financial chaos led to the ousting of Bristol-Myers' s boss. 随后引发的财政混乱导致了百时美施贵宝的总裁下台。
• The ousting of the president has drawn widespread criticism across Latin America and the wider world. 洪都拉斯总统被驱逐时间引起拉丁美洲甚至全世界的广泛批评。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

11 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。