VOA常速英语2008年-President Bush: No Permanent US Military Bases

By Michael Bowman
Washington
10 February 2008

President Bush says he does not envision permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, but does want the United States to maintain a troop presence long enough to guarantee that democracy takes hold in the country. VOA's Michael Bowman reports, Mr. Bush's comments on U.S. television come during a heated campaign season in which Democrats¹ are pledging to continue to press for a deadline to begin major troops withdrawals² form Iraq.

In discussing Iraq with U.S. military commanders, President Bush says he stresses one central objective: in his words, "success is paramount³."

"It means there is enough security and stability for reconciliation⁴ to continue to take place and for democracy to take hold," said President Bush.

The President was speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program. Asked whether he is attempting to tie the hands of his successor to a set course in Iraq by negotiating a long-term agreement for U.S. troops in the country, Mr. Bush said no.

"We will be there at the invitation of the Iraq government," said Mr. Bush. "Any president can make the decision of how many troops we need there. I could have increased troops or decreased troops in Korea, and we had a long term security agreement [with Seoul]. And we will not have permanent bases [in Iraq]."

During the past year, opposition⁵ Democrats, who control both houses of Congress, have repeatedly tried to force Mr. Bush to accept time-specific goals for pulling combat troops out of Iraq. Under veto threats, those efforts have failed.

Speaking on CNN's Late Edition program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the United States likely will have to wait for new U.S. leadership if it is to chart a new course in Iraq.

"We must end this war," said Nancy Pelosi. "It is clear it is not going to happen unless we have a new president who is committed to ending the war, to bring stability to the region, to make America safer, and to do so in a way that enables us to regain⁶ our rightful place, leadership role in the world."

Democratic presidential contenders have argued that Iraq's fractured political leadership will never make the difficult choices needed to achieve national reconciliation so long as they believe America's military commitment is open-ended.

Also speaking on CNN, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he agrees that Iraq must be prodded⁷ to take the steps necessary to one day fend⁸ for itself.

"We do not want to cut and run, but it is time to start thinking about how to bring them [U.S. troops] home," said Colin Powell. "And the safest way to bring them home and achieve some objective in Iraq, is to put the pressure on the Iraqis. At some point after all these years, they have got to be able to provide for their own security."

Nevertheless, Powell argued against setting what he termed "arbitrary dates" for a decision as important as ending America's military mission in Iraq.

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 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

3 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

4 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。

5 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。

6 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

7 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。