2006年VOA标准英语-US Public Support for Iraq War Drops

By Faith Lapidus
Washington, DC
17 March 2006
 
watch US Public Opinion report

Three years after U.S. and coalition¹ troops entered Iraq and overthrew² Saddam Hussein there are signs of political progress amid the continuing violence.  However, American support for the war is dropping, with 57 percent of those surveyed in recent polls (CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll, Washington Post/AP poll) saying the conflict is not worth the cost.  VOA gathered a random³ sample of opinion.  VOA's Faith Lapidus has more.

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President Bush 
  

U.S. President George W. Bush struck an upbeat tone as he marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. But U.S. public opinion is split, with more and more Americans believing the President's goals may never be achieved. "The enemies of a free Iraq are determined⁴. Yet so are the Iraqi people, and so are America and coalition partners. We will not lose our nerve. We will help the Iraqi people succeed."

We asked several people on the street their opinion on Iraq. We have some responses:

"I feel very strongly. This is a waste of resources. A waste of lives. For what?" asked one woman.

  
  
"I think it should be over. That's my opinion. They just need to withdraw. I don't know how else they going to do it. The President's got himself in a spot," said one man we spoke⁵ with.

"I think that the decision was flawed, yes. I think it was a mistake. I think we've stirred up a hornet's nest," said another man.

But other Americans remain steadfast⁶ in their belief that the United States is doing the right thing in Iraq.

"In one fell swoop⁷ we were able to bring a chance for freedom to millions of people who had been enslaved for three decades. Of course it's going to be a dangerous and rocky road to travel," said a gentleman. "But I think the benefits we'd have from having a freed Iraq and a chance of political atmosphere in the Middle East is very much worth the risk and the sacrifice."

But for critics of the war, it is the personal sacrifice of Americans, not the broader Middle East landscape, that matters most.

  
  
"I know there have been a lot of lives lost ... a lot of young men. And if that country can survive on its own with its own government, I think it should try it and let our boys come back home. Or if someone else wants to go over there, let them solve the problem."

  
  
"I feel hurt because our soldiers are still over there fighting and we're losing men on a constant daily basis. I feel Bush needs to assess the issue and find out what's really going on over there. And if our men need to come home, they should come home."

Many supporters of the war point to the political progress made in Iraq, despite the continuing violence, as a reason to stay involved.

"I still trust that we're doing the right thing, even though some mistakes were made here and there.  I don't think you can ever fight a war without things going wrong. It might not be in the next year or the next two years, but 20 years from now I think history is going to judge that we've done the right thing."

Whether historians will agree with that assertion remains⁸ to be seen. One thing is certain however; the divisiveness of the public debate over this war will be part of the historical record.

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

3 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

4 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

5 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。

6 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

7 swoop   

n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击

参考例句：

• The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
• We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。