2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Marks 3rd Anniversary Of Start Of Ira

By Paula Wolfson
White House
19 March 2006

Three years to the day after the start of the Iraq War, President Bush is hailing progress in that country on the political front, and praising the work of coalition¹ troops. 

President Bush speaks about the war in Iraq on the South Lawn of the White House    
  
The president is focusing on the positive. He says he is encouraged by progress in the creation of an Iraqi unity² government, and urges Iraqi leaders to get it up and running as soon as possible.

"The Iraqi people voted for democracy last December," said President Bush. "Seventy five percent of the eligible³ citizens went to the polls to vote. And now the Iraqi leaders are working together to enact⁴ a government that reflects the will of the people."

President Bush made the comments to White House reporters as he returned from a weekend at his Camp David retreat. He said as the nation marks the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq conflict, his thoughts are with the troops far from home.

"On this third anniversary of the beginning of the liberation of Iraq, I think all Americans should offer thanks to the men and women who wear the uniform and their families who support them," he said.

Earlier in the day, Vice-President Dick Cheney defended the administration's policy at a time of declining public support for U.S. involvment in Iraq.

During an appearance on the CBS television program, Face the Nation, Cheney insisted Iraq is not on the verge⁵ of civil war, though he added insurgents⁶ are doing all they can to tear the country apart.

"Clearly, there is an attempt under way by the terrorists, by Zarqawi and others, to ferment⁷ civil war," said Dick Cheney. "That has been their strategy all along. But my view would be, they have reached a stage of desperation from their standpoint."

Cheney denied the administration has presented an overly optimistic view of the war. He said the Iraqi people have met every benchmark set for political progress, and there has been movement forward on the security side.
 

Donald Rumsfeld  
  
In a commentary written for the opinion page of Sunday's Washington Post newspaper, Defense⁸ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld detailed⁹ military gains in Iraq over the last three years. He said turning away from the Iraqi people now, would be the modern equivalent of handing post - World War II Germany back to the Nazis¹⁰.

On NBC's Meet the Press program, the chief commander of coalition forces in Iraq,  General George Casey, said it may take several years before U.S. forces can completely withdraw from Iraq. However, he indicated a slow drawdown in coming months is likely, as Iraqi troops and police take over the country's security responsibilities.

"I see a couple more years of this, with a gradually reducing coalition presence here in Iraq," said General Casey.

Appearing on the same television news program, a leading opponent of the war, Democratic Congressman¹¹ John Murtha, said he still has not seen any major sign of progress on the security front. Murtha, a veteran of the Vietnam war, repeated his call for a rapid redeployment of U.S. forces currently serving on Iraqi soil.

"At some point you have to change direction," said Congressman Murtha. "What I am saying is, we have to redeploy our troops, because they are caught in a civil war."

President Bush is taking on his critics in a series of speeches on Iraq scheduled to mark the passage of three years since the start of the conflict. On Monday, he travels to Cleveland, Ohio, to talk about efforts being made to rebuild Iraqi communities and achieve stability.

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 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

4 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

5 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 ferment   

vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱

参考例句：

• Fruit juices ferment if they are kept a long time.果汁若是放置很久，就会发酵。
• The sixties were a time of theological ferment.六十年代是神学上骚动的时代。

8 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。

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。