Republicans put their convention back on track Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a televised satellite address from U.S. President George Bush, and speakers who praised the character of Republican nominee-to-be John McCain, while sharply attacking Democrats. At the same time, controversy about McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate continues to grab headlines, as Republicans rallied behind her and prepared to formally nominate their candidates on Wednesday and Thursday.
美国主要政党共和党在明尼苏达州圣保罗召开的全国代表大会星期二恢复正常日程，布什总统发表了卫星电视讲话，大会发言人赞扬了即将成为共和党总统候选人的麦凯恩，并对民主党人展开严厉抨击。与此同时，围绕麦凯恩挑选的竞选搭档、阿拉斯加州长佩林的争论继续是头条新闻，而共和党人则团结在佩林周围，准备在星期三和星期四正式提名他们的总统和副总统候选人。
President Bush used a 10 minute satellite address from the White House to praise Senator McCain, citing his defense of the military surge in Iraq, and describing him as someone who will protect Americans from further terrorist attacks:
布什总统通过卫星转播，在白宫发表了10分钟的演讲。他赞扬麦凯恩参议员，谈到麦凯恩支持在伊拉克增兵，并把麦凯恩称为将保卫美国免遭更多恐怖主义袭击的人。
"We live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain," he said.
布什说：“我们生活在一个危险的世界里。我们需要一位懂得2001年9/11经验教训的总统，懂得为了保卫美国，我们必须保持攻势，防患于未然，而不是等到攻击发生后再采取行动。我们需要的这个人就是约翰.麦凯恩。”
Tuesday's speakers brought a change in atmosphere, as Republicans escalated criticisms of Democrats and McCain's Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama.
星期二的演讲人改变了大会的气氛。共和党人对民主党人和麦凯恩的竞争对手奥巴马参议员的批评升级。
Senator Joe Lieberman, now an Independent who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 2000 presidential race, said he was appearing in support of McCain because, as he put it, "country matters more than party."
利伯曼参议员曾经是2000年总统大选中民主党副总统候选人，现在是无党派人士。利伯曼说，他支持麦凯恩，因为“国家比政党更重要”。
Lieberman has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress for his strong support of Senator McCain and President Bush's Iraq policies, and had this sharp criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Obama.
利伯曼由于坚决支持麦凯恩以及布什总统的伊拉克政策而受到国会民主党人的批评。他在大会上猛烈抨击的民主党总统候选人奥巴马。
"When others were silent about the war in Iraq, John McCain had the guts and the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, which would have been a disaster for the U.S.A.," said Lieberman. "When colleagues like Barack Obama were voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion, advocate the surge, support the surge and because of that, today America's troops are coming home, thousands of them, and they're coming home in honor."
利伯曼说：“当其他人对伊拉克战争保持沉默的时候，麦凯恩以他的勇气和判断力对我们在伊拉克所犯的错误敲响了警钟。当其他人想从战场上败退，而这对美国将是一场灾难，当奥巴马等国会议员投票支持削减战场上我们军队的拨款时，麦凯恩却有胆量顶住公众舆论，主张增兵，支持增兵。正因为如此，成千上万的美国军人今天才得以返回家园，光荣地返回家园。”
John Boehner, Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, accused House and Senate majority Democratic leaders of doing little to solve American's energy and other problems. Representative Michele Bachmann sounded a traditional Republican theme of less government:
BOEHNER: Washington today is broken and the Democratic Congress is its most visible symbol.
BACHMANN: Government is not a philanthropic organization. Government is not the family. And government certainly is not the church.
Fred Thompson, former senator and television actor who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the presidency, sought to emphasize McCain's credentials as a maverick who does what he thinks is right, regardless of what others say.
"He has been to Iraq eight times since 2003. He went seeking truth, not publicity. When he travels abroad, he prefers quietly speaking to the troops amidst the heat and hardship of their daily lives. And the same character that marked John McCain's military career has also marked his political career. This man, John McCain, is not intimidated by what the polls say or by what is politically safe or popular," he said.
While Republicans want to turn the focus of news headlines back to the main work of their convention, formally nominating McCain as their presidential candidate, he and his advisors are still battling questions about how thoroughly they examined Sarah Palin's background before choosing her as a running mate.
共和党人希望把新闻报导的重点转回到党代表大会的主要工作，正式提名麦凯恩为共和党总统候选人，但麦凯恩和他的顾问们仍要面对一个问题，这就是，在挑选佩林为竞选搭档之前，他们是否对佩林进行了全面的审查。
Chosen for her social conservatism and anti-abortion stance among other things, she revealed this week that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter was pregnant, a fact Senator McCain says he knew. She is also the subject of an investigation in Alaska involving firing of a state official.
佩林之所以被选中，有各种原因，其中包括她在社会问题上的保守主义色彩和反堕胎立场。佩林日前透露，她17岁的未婚女儿有孕在身。麦凯恩说他了解这件事。佩林还因为有关在阿拉斯加开除一名州政府官员的问题而受到调查。
McCain advisors insist she was thoroughly vetted, and have provided journalists with details of the process. But media organizations quoted unidentified Republican party sources as saying Palin was not seriously considered until a week or so before McCain announced the selection.
麦凯恩的顾问们坚持说，对佩林进行过全面的审核，他们还向记者提供了审核过程的细节。但是一些媒体引述没有透露姓名的共和党消息人士的话说，麦凯恩在宣布搭档人选前大约一个星期才开始认真考虑佩林。
McCain was pressed again on the issue during a campaign appearance in Cleveland, Ohio. "My vetting process was completely thorough and I am grateful for the results," he said.
麦凯恩在俄亥俄州克利夫兰竞选时又被问到这个问题。麦凯恩说：“这个审查过程非常全面，我对结果感到满意。”
McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, says family matters should remain personal and not be mixed with politics, a view shared by Obama'S running mate, Senator Joe Biden. "I have a simple proposition. Children are off limits. Children are off limits."
麦凯恩的民主党竞争对手奥巴马表示，家庭问题应当是私人问题，不应当和政治混为一谈。奥巴马的竞选搭档拜登参议员也同意这种看法。拜登说：“我有个建议，不谈孩子，不谈孩子。”
Senator McCain has predicted that Palin's appearance at the Republican convention on Wednesday to accept the vice presidential nomination will help excite Americans about her candidacy. Republican delegates and others attending the convention expressed continued support for her and applauded McCain's choice.
麦凯恩参议员预计，佩林星期三在共和党全国代表大会上接受副总统候选人提名，将有助于激起美国人对她作为候选人的热情。共和党代表和其他参加大会的人继续对佩林表示支持，并赞扬麦凯恩的选择。 |