2007年VOA标准英语-US Senate Panel Approves Measure Opposing Troop

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
24 January 2007

A U.S. Senate panel has approved a measure expressing opposition¹ to President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq. The measure passed by a 12-9 vote, despite President Bush's appeal to Congress Tuesday in his State of the Union address to allow his plan to succeed. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

 
Chuck Hagel (l) and Senator Richard Lugar take part in a debate on Iraq War resolution, 24 Jan 2007
Only one Republican, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, joined the 11 Democrats² on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in approving the resolution, which expresses opposition to President Bush's plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq to help stabilize³ the country.

Hagel, a decorated Vietnam veteran and likely candidate for the Republican nomination⁴ for president next year, sharply criticized Mr. Bush's decision to send more troops into what he calls a civil war.

He said, "We better be damned sure we know what we are doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder."

 
Joseph Biden (l),  24 Jan 2007
The chairman of the committee, Democratic Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, is another co-sponsor of the non-binding⁵ resolution, which does not have the force of law.

"Our resolution of disapproval⁶ is not - I emphasize not - an attempt to embarrass the president," he said. "It is not an attempt to demonstrate isolation⁷. What it is, is an attempt to save the president from making a significant mistake regarding our policy in Iraq."

Among the lawmakers who voted against the measure was the top Republican on the committee, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, who said while he, too, opposes a U.S. troop increase in Iraq, he also opposes the resolution.

 
Richard Lugar (file photo)
"It is unclear to me how passing a nonbinding resolution that the president has already said he will ignore will contribute to any improvement or modifications⁸ of our Iraq policy," he said.

Lugar says he fears passage of the resolution will make it more difficult for Congress to work with the president to influence his Iraq policy.

The resolution calls for the United States to transfer, under what it calls an appropriately expedited timeline, responsibility for internal security and halting sectarian violence in Iraq to the Iraqi government its security forces.

It also calls on the Bush administration to engage Iraq's neighbors to develop a regional and internationally-sponsored peace and reconciliation⁹ process for Iraq, and says Iraqi leaders should lead the way in reaching a political settlement that could lead to peace.

The resolution, which now goes to the Senate floor for consideration next week, is one of two that express opposition to Mr. Bush's plan. The other is sponsored by the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John Warner of Virginia.

Senator Biden says he would consider working with Warner to combine the two resolutions into a single measure if that would increase Republican support.

Biden, who is also considering a run for his party's nomination for president next year, said he would introduce tougher, binding legislation on Iraq if President Bush fails to heed¹⁰ the message of the symbolic¹¹ resolution.

The senator said he would consider, among other proposals, sponsoring a measure that would rewrite the resolution passed by Congress in 2002 that authorized¹² the use of force in Iraq.

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 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

4 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

5 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

6 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

7 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

8 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

10 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

11 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

12 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。