US Presidential Campaigns Spar Over National Security Issues

 

Jim Malone

In U.S. presidential politics, the Bush and Kerry campaigns exchanged attacks Monday over the issue of national security. Vice¹ President Dick Cheney questioned presumptive Democratic nominee² John Kerry's record on defense³, while the head of the Democratic Party fired back at the vice president.
In a speech in Missouri, Vice President Cheney said Senator Kerry had a habit of supporting cuts in the defense and intelligence budgets, including weapons programs that are now essential in the war on terrorism.
"In his years in Washington, Senator Kerry has been one vote out of 100 in the United States Senate and fortunately on matters of national security, he was usually in the minority," he said. "But the presidency⁴ is an entirely⁵ different proposition. The president always casts the deciding vote and the senator from Massachusetts has given us ample grounds to doubt the judgment⁶ and attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security."
The Bush re-election campaign also began running a series of new television advertisements that seeks to draw attention to the Kerry record on defense.
"As our troops defend America in the war on terror, they must have what it takes to win. Yet John Kerry has repeatedly opposed weapons vital to winning the war on terror," the ad says.
But Democrats⁷ quickly reacted to this latest round of Republican attacks with some jabs of their own. Even before the vice president spoke⁸, Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe urged Republicans to, in his words, "call off the attack dogs" targeting Senator Kerry.
"For the Republicans, twisting the truth into distracting attack is like a bad habit that they just can't break," he said. "That is why today, Dick Cheney, the Bush campaign's attack dog in chief, is kicking off a week-long ad campaign that will question John Kerry's commitment to defending the country he risked his life for."
Mr. McAuliffe also said Vice President Cheney had a "lack of credibility" on the issue of defense since he had supported cutting weapons programs as defense secretary in the first Bush administration.
Senator Kerry, meanwhile, was defending his involvement in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations¹⁰ in the 1970s after he returned home from combat duty with the Navy.
Some Kerry critics have long alleged¹¹ that he threw away his combat medals during a 1971 protest in Washington. Senator Kerry told ABC television that he threw away only the ribbons from his medals, not the medals themselves, as a symbolic¹² protest against the war.
"This is a controversy¹³ that the Republicans are pushing," he said. "The Republicans have spent $60 million in the last few weeks trying to attack me and this comes from a president and a Republican Party that cannot ever answer whether he showed up for duty in the National Guard. I am not going to stand for it."
Given the situation in Iraq and the ongoing¹⁴ war on terror, defense and national security figure to be prominent issues in the November election.
But American University presidential historian Allan Lichtman argues that a focus on security will probably benefit the president come Election Day.
"It usually takes a long time before the public reacts negatively to a president in a time of war and national peril¹⁵ and the situation in Iraq is still very perilous¹⁶ for the president," he said. "But never underestimate the power of a president to define what is in the national security [interest] and the response of the public to rally behind a sitting president."
A new poll released Monday shows the president defeating Senator Kerry by 47-44 percent if the election were held today. But the poll by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion also indicates that Senator Kerry has a slight lead over the president in the 17 states that are expected to be the most closely contested in the November election.

注释：
presumptive [pri5zQmptiv] adj. 可据以推定的，推测的
ample [5Ampl] adj. 广大的
twisting [5twistiN] n. 扭曲
distract [dis5trAkt] v. 转移
credibility [7kredi5biliti] n. 可靠性，确实性
demonstration⁹ [7demEns5treiFEn] n. 证明，证实
alleged [E5ledVd] adj. 声称的
controversy [5kCntrEvE:si] n. 争论
peril [5peril] n. 危险，冒险

1 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。

2 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

7 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》

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

11 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

12 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

13 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

14 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

15 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

16 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。