VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Takes More Aggressive Tone Toward McCain

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took a more aggressive tone Wednesday in responding to attacks from his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain. The increasingly negative tone to the campaign for the White House comes amid polls showing McCain surging since last week's Republican convention. More now from VOA National correspondent Jim Malone in Washington.
　
Barack Obama in Norfolk, Virginia, 10 Sep 2008

On Tuesday, Senator Obama told a crowd in Virginia that John McCain would basically continue the policies of President Bush.

Obama questioned McCain's claim to be an agent of change, adding "you can put lipstick² on a pig. It's still a pig."

The McCain campaign pounced³ on Obama's comment as offensive and disgraceful, and said it targeted McCain's vice⁴ presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Senator Obama denied that charge Wednesday in Norfolk, Virginia, and accused the McCain campaign of waging a negative campaign against him that uses lies and underhanded tactics.

"Then we go another year or another four years or another eight years without addressing the issues that matter to you," he said. "Enough! I don't care what they say about me, but I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage⁵ and Swift boat politics. Enough is enough."

The Swift boat reference is connected to Democrat¹ John Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004, when he came under attack from fellow Navy veterans of the Vietnam War, who claimed he exaggerated his war record.
　
John McCain (r) and Sarah Palin in Fairfax, Virginia, 10 Sep 2008

Obama's more aggressive tone in responding to the McCain campaign comes amid new polls that show the Republican ticket of McCain and Palin gaining on Obama and his vice presidential running mate, Senator Joe Biden.

Palin has proven to be a very popular pick among social conservatives and among some women voters.

The Republicans have also fashioned an appeal to centrist voters, with McCain and Palin now casting themselves as political mavericks⁶ bent⁷ on changing and reforming Washington.

Palin and McCain appeared together Wednesday at a rally in northern Virginia.

"Because my friends, let there be no doubt, we are going to win this election, and let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd-change is coming, change is coming, and it's coming to our nation's capital and we will clean it up," McCain said.

McCain's rise in the polls and the quick ascendancy⁸ of Palin as a national figure have eroded⁹ Democratic confidence, and have spurred Democrats¹⁰ to urge Obama to fight back more sharply against Republican attacks.

The McCain campaign has also formed a group of Republican women called the Palin Truth Squad¹¹, which will defend the Alaska governor against what the Republicans believe are unfair Democratic attacks.

 

1 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。

2 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

3 pounced   

v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击）

参考例句：

• As soon as I opened my mouth, the teacher pounced on me. 我一张嘴就被老师抓住呵斥了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police pounced upon the thief. 警察向小偷扑了过去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

6 mavericks   

未烙印的牲畜( maverick的名词复数 )； 标新立异的人，不合常规的人

参考例句：

• And what about the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki? 那达拉斯小牛队和诺维斯基呢？
• And we see it with bringing Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. 而且我们看到它同实现基德向达拉斯小牛队。

7 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

8 ascendancy   

n.统治权，支配力量

参考例句：

• We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
• The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。

9 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

10 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》

11 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。