2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Administration Clashes With Newspaper Over

By Jim Malone
Washington
27 June 2006
 
  
  
President Bush's choice to be the next Treasury¹ secretary, Henry Paulson, promised the Senate Tuesday that he will review a previously² secret program to track terrorists through an international banking³ database. The New York Times newspaper first revealed the program last week, prompting a barrage⁴ of criticism from President Bush and other administration officials.

----------

Treasury nominee⁵ Paulson told the Senate Finance Committee that, if confirmed, he will make sure the once-secret program to track suspected terrorists through a vast international banking database balances security and privacy.

The New York Times first reported on the program last week, followed by other U.S. newspapers.

Revelations about the program sparked angry criticism from several officials in the Bush administration, beginning with the president himself. "Congress was briefed and what we did was fully⁶ authorized⁷ under the law and the disclosure of this program is disgraceful. We are at war with a bunch of people who want to hurt the United States of America and for people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm to the United States of America," he said.

Under the program, the Bush administration was allowed to look for terrorist links by tapping into the records of an international banking cooperative that handles millions of messages each day from thousands of financial institutions around the world.

New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller issued an email statement saying the decision to publish the story about the secret program was, in his words, a hard call, but that it was in the public's interest to go ahead.

Some conservatives have condemned⁸ the Times for the story, including this caller on the public affairs network CSPAN, who confronted New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau.

CALLER: "He should be sitting in jail right now awaiting trial for treason. This was uncalled for."

LICHTBLAU: "It was decided⁹ that there was a compelling public interest. You know, we have had a fast and furious debate the last six months or so over the NSA [National Security Agency domestic surveillance] program and this delicate balance between national security and privacy and civil liberties."

Some Republicans are calling for an investigation¹⁰ by the Justice Department to see if the Times violated espionage¹¹ laws by publishing the story. "And to me their conduct was absolutely disgraceful and it is criminal and they should be prosecuted," said Republican congressman¹² Peter King of New York, who spoke¹³ on Fox television.

President Bush says some members of Congress were informed about the banking surveillance program.

So far, opposition¹⁴ Democrats¹⁶ have said little about the issue.

Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana complained that the administration did not brief the Senate Finance Committee on the terror-tracking program.

Another Democrat¹⁵, Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts, says the administration has adopted what he calls a shoot the messenger strategy by focusing criticism on The New York Times.

The Times also came in for criticism from the administration last year for reporting on the domestic surveillance efforts of the National Security Agency to monitor international phone calls without court warrants.

The Times was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on that story, one of the highest honors in American journalism

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 barrage   

n.火力网，弹幕

参考例句：

• The attack jumped off under cover of a barrage.进攻在炮火的掩护下开始了。
• The fierce artillery barrage destroyed the most part of the city in a few minutes.猛烈的炮火几分钟内便毁灭了这座城市的大部分地区。

5 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。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

8 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 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。

15 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

16 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》