VOA常速英语2008年-Obama, Clinton Campaign in North Carolina, Indi

By Jim Malone
Washington
25 April 2008

Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are campaigning in North Carolina and Indiana in advance of primaries in both states on May 6.  But Obama continues to be drawn¹ into a controversy² involving his former pastor³, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Senator Obama tried to distance himself from Reverend Wright in a speech on race and politics last month.

Wright has made inflammatory statements in some of his sermons over the years slamming the U.S. government for racist⁴ policies and claiming that the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States were retribution for an oppressive foreign policy.

Now, Wright is speaking out in an interview with Bill Moyers of the Public Broadcasting System.

"I felt it was unfair," he said.  "I felt it was unjust.  I felt it was untrue.  I felt that those who were doing that, were doing it for some very devious⁵ reason.  Having made me the target of hatred⁶, yes, that is very new and something very, very unsettling."

Obama has been trying to undo⁷ the political damage from the Wright controversy ever since the story broke.  And now Obama finds himself again on the defensive⁸ at a time when he is trying to recapture political momentum⁹ in the wake of Hillary Clinton's decisive victory in the Pennsylvania primary.

Obama was asked about Wright at a news conference in Indiana.

"I think that what he said in several instances were objectionable, and I understand why the American people took offense¹⁰," he said.  "And as I indicated before, I took offense."

Many Democrats¹¹ worry that Republicans will use the Wright issue against Obama in the general election campaign if Obama wins the Democratic Party nomination¹².

Republicans in North Carolina have already prepared a television ad critical of Obama for his relationship with Wright, even though the presumptive Republican nominee¹³, Senator John McCain, urged them not to air it.

McCain spoke¹⁴ on NBC television.

"This kind of campaigning is unacceptable, and I have said that," he said.  "It will harm the Republican's cause, and I have done everything that I can to repudiate¹⁵ and to see that this kind of campaigning does not continue."

McCain has been on a weeklong tour of parts of the country affected¹⁶ by poverty, including New Orleans, which was ravaged¹⁷ by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  McCain described the government's emergency response to Katrina as disgraceful.

But McCain's campaign activities remain overshadowed by the Democratic nomination battle.

Obama is favored in the May 6 primary in North Carolina, while he and Clinton are running even in the latest polls in Indiana, which also votes on the same day.

Clinton told supporters in North Carolina Friday that she wants another debate with Obama.

"The only question I cannot answer is why Senator Obama will not debate me in North Carolina," she said.  "And I sure would like to give an answer with a date and a time, and I said I will go anywhere, anytime to have a debate because, you know, the issues in Pennsylvania are not the same as the issues in North Carolina."

The Obama campaign so far has declined to agree to a debate.

Obama victories in both North Carolina and Indiana could cement his status as the frontrunner.  He continues to hold a lead in the delegate count.

But Clinton victories in both states could raise fresh doubts about Obama among the so-called superdelegates who will likely supply the margin¹⁸ of victory for one of the two candidates.

Superdelegates are party officeholders and activists¹⁹ who will attend the national convention as uncommitted delegates.

Democratic Party leaders want the superdelegates to rally around a presidential nominee by July 1, well before the national party convention in late August.

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

4 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

5 devious   

adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的

参考例句：

• Susan is a devious person and we can't depend on her.苏姗是个狡猾的人，我们不能依赖她。
• He is a man who achieves success by devious means.他这个人通过不正当手段获取成功。

6 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

7 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

8 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

9 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

10 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

11 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》

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。

15 repudiate   

v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行

参考例句：

• He will indignantly repudiate the suggestion.他会气愤地拒绝接受这一意见。
• He repudiate all debts incurred by his son.他拒绝偿还他儿子的一切债务。

16 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

17 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

18 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

19 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》