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　　Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama introduced Senator Joe Biden as his running mate Saturday. They spoke¹ at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, two days before the Democratic National Convention.
美国民主党总统候选人奥巴马在星期六介绍了他的副总统竞选夥伴，参议员乔.拜登。在民主党全国代表大会开幕的前两天，他们在伊利诺伊州春田镇的一个集会上公开讲话。
Barack Obama went before a cheering crowd of thousands in his home state and praised his vice² presidential candidate as a "leader who is ready to step in and be President." "Joe Biden is what so many others pretend to be: a statesman with sound judgment³, who does not have to hide behind bluster⁴ to keep America strong."
奥巴马在他的家乡伊利诺伊州来到数千名欢呼群众的面前，并且称赞他的副总统候选人是个“已经准备好执政，走马上任的领导人”。奥巴马说：“许多人都自称是有准确判断力的政治家，是不需要躲在夸大空话背后就能保持美国安全的人。其实，拜登才是这样的政治家。”
Obama, at age 47, is a relative newcomer to national politics, with less than four years in the Senate. His Republican opponent, Arizona Senator John McCain, who turns 72 on Friday has argued that Obama lacks experience in foreign policy and national security matters.
现年47岁的奥巴马，在参议院仅有不到4年的资历，在全国政坛来讲算是个新人。他的共和党对手、亚利桑那州参议员麦凯恩，争辩说奥巴马缺乏外交政策与国家安全的经验。麦凯恩在这个星期五就满72岁了。
Biden has represented the small Eastern state of Delaware in the U.S. Senate for 36 years, and heads the powerful Senate Foreign Relations committee. Obama highlighted that experience in his speech.
拜登在美国参议院中代表美国东部的小州德拉瓦州长达36年，并且是权力很大的参议院外交关系委员会的主席。奥巴马在他的演说中强调了这项资历。
"He looked [former Yugoslav leader] Slobodan Milosevic in the eye and called him a war criminal, and then helped shaped policies that would end the killing⁶ in the Balkans and bring Milosevic to justice. Joe Biden passed laws to lock down chemical weapons, and led the push to bring Europe's newest democracies into NATO. Over the last eight years he has been a powerful critic of the catastrophic Bush-McCain foreign policy," he said.
“拜登毫不畏惧地把前南斯拉夫领导人米洛舍维奇称为战争罪犯。然后他协助制定政策，以便中止在巴尔干的杀戮行为，并且将米洛舍维奇绳之以法。拜登通过了禁止化学武器的法案，并且领导推动欧洲的新兴民主国家进入北约。过去8年来，他一直是布什与麦凯恩灾难性外交政策的有力批评者。”
Minutes into Biden's speech, he contrasted McCain's admission earlier in the week that he was not sure how many homes he owns with the plight⁷ of working-class Americans sitting at their kitchen tables and worrying about their financial future.
拜登开始演说没多久，就把这个星期稍早麦凯恩承认弄不清楚他究竟有几栋房子的事情，跟那些为财务未来而发愁的工薪阶级美国人的困境，拿来作比较。
"That's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. He will have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at," he said.
拜登说：“麦凯恩根本不需要烦恼这种事情。那是很艰难的经历。他需要烦恼的是，应该坐在他的众多房屋中的哪一座房子里发愁这些事情。”
Biden also emphasized his working-class roots, trying to appeal to a group of voters whose support Obama has struggled to attract.
拜登同时也强调他出身工薪阶级，他也在试图吸引奥巴马在努力吸引的选民。
"I'm here for the cops [police officers] and the firefighters, the teachers and the line workers, the folks whose lives are the measure of whether the American Dream endures. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary time. This is no ordinary election," he said.
他说：“我是为了警察、消防队员、教师还有流水线上的工人挺身而出的。这些人的生活，就是美国梦是否成真的衡量指标。女士们、先生们，这不是个普通的时刻，这不是一场普通的选举。
And Biden acknowledged McCain's military service as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, but said Obama would be a better leader.
同时拜登也认可麦凯恩在越战中作为战俘的军队经历，但他说奥巴马才是更好的领导人。
"These times call for a total change in Washington's world view. These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader," he said.
“现在需要完全改变华盛顿的世界观。现在需要的不只是一位素质优秀的军人，而是一位明智的领导人。”
Obama's choice of Biden to be his running mate was announced early Saturday morning, in a text message to supporters.
奥巴马在星期六早晨，以手机简讯的方式向支持者宣布，他选择了拜登作为竞选夥伴。
Saturday's rally was the only joint⁸ appearance for Obama and Biden before the Democratic convention begins on Monday.
星期六的集会是奥巴马与拜登在民主党全国代表大会于星期一开始之前，唯一的一次共同公开露面。
McCain has not chosen a running mate, but is said to be considering former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁵ Romney and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. The Republican convention starts September 1.
麦凯恩尚未选定竞选夥伴，但据说考虑的人选包括前麻萨诸塞州州长罗姆尼和明尼苏达州州长波伦蒂。共和党全国代表大会将在9月1号开始。