U.S. President George Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet Monday at 2PM in the White House. Mr. Obama and his family will get a tour of the White House from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush. It will be their first opportunity to speak face-to-face since the November 4 election.
美国总统布什和当选总统奥巴马将在星期一下午2点于白宫举行会晤。这是两人自11月4号总统选举以来首次有机会进行面对面交谈。
It is traditional for the incoming president and first lady to visit the White House after Election Day.
美国素有当选总统和夫人在选举日后拜访白宫的传统。
Usually they wait a few weeks. But this time the meeting between the current president and the president-elect was arranged in a matter of days.
通常他们都是在选举日过后几个星期访问白宫，可是这一次，在任总统和当选总统的会晤被安排在了选举结束后的几天之内。
That is in part because this is the first transition in four decades to occur at a time when the United States is at war. It is also taking place in the midst of an economic crisis that demands immediate attention.
这样做的一个原因是，这是40年来美国首次在和它国交战期间发生权力交接。另一个原因是权力交接发生在经济危机当中，领导人需要立即着手处理这场危机。
President-elect Obama says dealing with the economy is his top priority.
当选总统奥巴马说，处理经济问题将是他的首要任务。
"I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead," said Barack Obama. "We have taken some major actions to date, and we will need further actions during this transition and subsequent months."
他说：“我不会低估摆在我面前的任务的艰巨程度。到目前为止，我们已经采取了一些重要行动，在过渡期和之后的几个月中，我们还要采取进一步行动。”
Mr. Obama has said he will move with - what he calls - deliberate haste to choose his cabinet. Aides stress he understands the urgency, but wants to make sure he has the best possible people in place.
奥巴马表示，他会在经过慎重考虑的情况下尽快选定内阁部长。他的助手们强调，奥巴马理解形势的紧迫性，但同时也希望保证把最适合的人放在部长的位置上。
John Podesta heads the Obama transition team. During an appearance on the Fox News Sunday television program, he was asked about the need to move quickly to reassure financial markets.
波德斯塔是奥巴马过渡小组的领导人。他在接受福克斯电视台周日节目的采访时被问到关于政府需要尽快行动稳定金融市场的问题。
"I think we are moving aggressively to build up that core economic team, the national security team, and you will see announcements when they are ready," said John Podesta.
波德斯塔说：“我们正在积极行动，建立核心经济小组，国家安全小组，在准备就绪时我们会宣布我们的决定。”
Podesta said the incoming administration is also taking a close look at many of the executive orders signed by President Bush that are at odds with Mr. Obama's views.
波德斯塔说，即将上任的奥巴马政府还在仔细研究那些由布什总统签字生效、但和奥巴马的观点相左的行政命令。
"... on stem cell research, on a number of areas," he said. "You see the Bush administration even today moving aggressively to do things I think are not in the interest of the country."
波德斯塔说：“我们在考虑干细胞研究等很多领域的问题。即使在今天，你依然能看到，布什政府在尽力推行一些不符合美国利益的政策。”
He said these executive orders could be repealed or amended easily by the new administration because no Congressional action is required.
他说，新政府废除或修改这些行政命令并不难，因为这并不需要国会采取行动。
But despite their differences on matters of policy, President Bush and President-elect Obama are going out of their way to stress their willingness to cooperate during the transition period.
虽然布什和奥巴马在许多政策上持不同观点，但是两人都竭力强调，他们愿意在过渡期进行合作。
Mr. Bush has ordered his staff to make the transition as seamless as possible. And Mr. Obama has repeatedly stressed that until January 20, George Bush is the President of the United States.
布什命令他的工作人员尽量使权力过渡顺利进行。奥巴马也多次强调，在明年1月20号以前，布什依然是美国总统。
Perhaps to underscore that point, the president-elect will not be attending the major economic summit Mr. Bush is hosting in Washington on November 15th. He has, however, been talking to other world leaders by telephone.
也许是为了强调这一点，奥巴马将不会出席布什11月15号在华盛顿主持召开的主要经济峰会。不过，奥巴马一直在通过电话和世界其它国家的领导人进行交谈。
On Saturday, Mr. Obama spoke for the first time since the election with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. A Kremlin statement said they agreed that their countries have a common responsibility to address serious global problems. It also mentioned the possibility of an early meeting once the president-elect takes office.
星期六，奥巴马同俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫进行了他当选后的首次谈话。克里姆林宫发表的一份声明说，两人同意，美国和俄罗斯肩负着解决重要全球问题的责任。声明还说，在奥巴马就任总统后，他和梅德韦杰夫可能会举行会晤。
Relations with Russia are strained over a Bush administration plan to set up a missile-defense system with sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Senator Obama said he needs more proof that the plan will work and the high cost is justified.
在总统竞选活动中，奥巴马说，他需要更多证据来证明这一导弹防御计划将发挥作用，并且值得美国为该计划付出大量资金。 |