Bush&Cheney:Do You Trust Them?

 

 

President Bush is being criticized again, today, much of it is ¹⁾partisan¹ for his business past. He is accused of ²⁾indulging as a businessman in the same corporate² excesses that he is now ³⁾condemning.    

As the President headed off on a Midwest trip, his aides were left behind to deal with more questions about Mr. Bush’s own business practices years ago. In his Wall Street speech on Tuesday, Mr. Bush criticized ⁴⁾sweetheart loans given to company insiders.

Bush: I challenge compensation committees, to put an end to all company loans to corporate officers.   

But in 1986, while a board member of Harken Energy Corporation, Bush himself received a low interest loan from the company, lower than the market rate, for $96,000, so he could buy Harken Company stocks. Two years later, another loan of $84,000 to buy more shares, for a total of $180,000 in company loans. Mr. Bush ultimately repaid them. Democratic leaders accuse him of ⁵⁾hypocrisy⁴. Tom Daschle(Majority leader): He did criticize the effort in his speech, and yet it appears that is what he did himself.

Richard Gephard(Minority leader): It is hard to lead when you haven’t done the things that you’re asking others to do.   

The President’s aides say there was nothing wrong in accepting the loans because it was common practice in the 80s. And there was no hypocrisy, says the Presidents spokesman, because Mr. Bush did not abuse the system as executives have done in recent years.

Ari Flescher(WH Press Secretary): People taking out loans and not doing what President Bush did, and not putting them back into the company and using them for other purposes, which are abusive. 

The President’s aides are particularly frustrated⁵ that his own words have ⁶⁾diverted attention to what he is trying to do: ⁷⁾boost investor⁶ confidence. That is the real concern here, a weak stock market, and the effect it could have on economic recovery.   

Now to this issue of Vice⁷ President Cheney. A legal activist⁸ group called “⁸⁾Judicial⁹ Watch” filed the lawsuit¹⁰ today against the Vice President, and Halliburton, the Energy Company he used to run. The lawsuit accuses Halliburton, and its former CEO, of the same ⁹⁾fraudulent accounting¹¹ associated with the WorldCom and Enron companies. So, what is the bottom line?    

Mr. Cheney was CEO of Halliburton from 1995 until he ¹⁰⁾joined the ticket in 2000. In his last full year on the job he earned $26.4 million.   

The suit by Judicial Watch on behalf of Halliburton shareholders¹² claims Mr. Cheney and other Halliburton executives ¹¹⁾artificially boosted profits by $455 million, between 1998 and 2001.

Larry Klayman(Chairman of Judicial Watch): Cheney said no, it’s just the accountants that did that. He doesn’t want to take responsibility; he was head of the company.   

Halliburton says its accounting practices were approved by its auditor¹³, Arthur Anderson. In 1997 Mr. Cheney taped a testimonial for an Anderson marketing¹⁴ video.

Cheney(in video): I get good advice, if you will, from their people based upon how we’re doing business and how we’re operating, ¹²⁾over and above just the sort of the normal by-the-books auditing¹⁵ arrangement.   

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Halliburton inflated¹⁶ its profits since 1998.

Prof. Lawrence Mitchell(George Washington University, Law School): It’s consistent with the kinds of earnings¹⁷ management that have gotten companies like Enron and WorldCom and Global Crossing into trouble.   

Halliburton Executives say they cannot imagine Mr. Cheney signed off on the way the company kept its books. Corporate law experts say the CEO is ultimately responsible for the way the company is run.

Prof. Lawrence Mitchell: It is not proper that the CEO not know, and giving the kind of reputation that Cheney had as a businessman. No, I don’t think it’s credible¹⁸ that he didn’t know.   

Aides to the Vice President said today that the Judicial Watch suit has no merit. CE

23、布什和切尼你：信得过他们俩吗？

 

今天，布什总统再次遭到批评。这次对他过去商业行为的批评从很大程度上说是党派性的。他被指控在从商时行为不当，犯了他如今正在谴责的大公司行为不检点的同样错误。   

布什总统前往美国中西部，而他的助手却留下来应付关于布什数年前经商时的问题。布什星期二在华尔街发表演说，批评那些企业知情人获得的私下交易的贷款。

布什：我向各大公司的报酬委员会提出一个要求，结束所有企业内部给公司管理人员的贷款。   

可是在1986年，当布什是哈肯能源公司董事会的一名成员时，他自己就在公司得到一笔金额高达96000美元的低息贷款，利息低于当时的市场价，他借这笔钱的目的是用它来购买哈肯公司的股票。两年后，他又借了84000美元再次买进公司股票。这样，他两次共从哈肯公司借了18万美元的贷款。布什后来偿还了全部贷款，但民主党人说他是一个伪君子。

汤姆·达施勒（多数党领袖）：他在自己的演说里确实对这种做法进行了谴责，但看来他自己以前也是那样做的。

理查德·盖普哈特（少数党领袖）：如果你没有做到你要求他人做的事，这样就很难做一个领导者。   

布什总统的助手说，接受这种贷款并没有错，因为在二十世纪八十年代，这是一种常见的做法。总统的发言人说，这里面不存在虚伪，因为布什并没有像近年来许多公司高层管理人员一样滥用特权。

阿里·弗莱舍（白宫新闻秘书）：其他人是贷了款，却并没有像布什总统那样做，向公司偿还贷款，而把钱用到其它地方。这样做才是滥用特权。   

布什原本的意图是刺激投资者的信心，但让总统助手感到特别丧气的是，布什本人的话转移了大众的注意力。问题的关键是目前疲软的股市，以及它对经济复苏可能造成的影响。   

现在我们来谈副总统切尼的问题。一个叫“司法观察”的法律激进组织对副总统及他以前经营的能源公司哈利伯顿提出诉讼。这项诉讼指控哈利伯顿公司与它的前总裁像世界通信公司和安然公司一样，有制造虚假财务帐目的行为。那么，具体情况究竟是什么？   

从1995年到2000年成为副总统候选人这段时间，切尼一直是哈利伯顿公司的总裁，他任总裁的最后一个全年收入是2640万美元。司法观察诉讼案是代表哈利伯顿的股东们提出的，此诉讼案称，切尼和哈利伯顿的其它管理人员在1998年到2001年间，人为地把公司利润上调了四亿四千五百万美元。

拉里·克莱曼（司法观察主席）：切尼说并他没有这么做，那都是财务部门的人干的。他是不想承担责任，但他可是这家公司的负责人啊。   

哈利伯顿公司声称所有的财务帐目都经过了他们的审计者安达信核准的。在1997年，切尼曾替安达信录制用于市场推广的推荐录像带。

切尼(在录像带中)：安达信会计事务所给我们提出了很好的建议，他们的职员在了解我公司是如何做生意以及运行的基础上，所提出的建议远远超过了单纯的财务审计。   

美国证券交易委员会正就哈利伯顿公司是否在1998年夸大利润之事进行调查。劳伦斯·米切尔教授（乔治·华盛顿大学法学院）：它们的做法正是让安然公司、世界通信公司和环球通讯公司身处困境的做法是一样的。   

哈利伯顿公司的管理人员表示，对切尼允许公司处理帐目的方法，他们感到难以想像。公司法专家说，公司的总裁最终是要为公司的经营行为负责的。

劳伦斯·米切尔教授：作为总裁，特别是像切尼这种享有名誉的商人，这样做是不对的。我认为，要说他不知道此事是不可信的。   

今天，副总统切尼的助手称，司法观察的诉讼是没有根据的。CE

1) partisan [pa:5tizAn] a. 党派性的    

2) indulge [in5dQldV] v. 肆意从事

3) condemn³ [kEn5dem] v. 谴责

4) sweetheart loan 私下成交的贷款

5) hypocrisy [hi5pCkrEsi] n. 虚伪

6) divert [dai5vE:t] v. 转移，转向       

7) boost [bu:st] v. 推动，促进

8) Judicial Watch 司法观察。成立于1994年，总部设在华盛顿，并在美国各地设有办公室。它是一个无党派的非营利性组织，其目的是对政府的司法系统进行监督。

9) fraudulent [5frCdjulEns] a. 欺骗性的，诈骗的

10) joined the ticket in 2000 指在2000年的总统竞选过程中，切尼成为当时的总统候选人的竞选伙伴，竞选副总统。

11) artificially [9a:ti5fiFEli] ad. 人工地，人为地

12) over and above 多于

 

1 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

4 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

7 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。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

10 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

11 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

12 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

13 auditor   

n.审计员，旁听着

参考例句：

• The auditor was required to produce his working papers.那个审计员被要求提供其工作底稿。
• The auditor examines the accounts of all county officers and departments.审计员查对所有县官员及各部门的帐目。

14 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

15 auditing   

n.审计，查账，决算

参考例句：

• Auditing standards are the rules governing how an audit is performed.收支检查标准是规则统治一个稽核如何被运行。
• The auditing services market is dominated by a few large accounting firms.审计服务市场被几家大型会计公司独占了。

16 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

18 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？