2006年VOA标准英语-US Senators Predict Action to Allow Prosecution

By Michael Bowman
Washington
02 July 2006

This photo, reviewed by a US Department of Defense¹ official, US military guards keeps watch from a tower overlooking the perimeter² of Camp Delta³ detention⁴ center, June 29, 2006   
  
U.S. senators from both political parties say Congress is likely to give President Bush the authority he needs to prosecute⁵ terror suspects held at the U.S. Naval⁶ Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Discussion of how to adjudicate the detainees follows last week's Supreme⁷ Court decision striking down military commissions established by the Bush administration for that purpose.

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Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bush has asserted broad executive power to conduct the war on terror as he deems necessary, including the establishment of military commissions to try terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay. Last Thursday, the Supreme Court placed clear limits on wartime executive power - a decision applauded by Rhode Island Democratic Senator Jack⁸ Reed.

"The president declared, essentially⁹, that he was operating on his own capacity as commander-in-chief," said Reed. "And, I think, the court reined¹⁰ him back, and I think that is appropriate."

The Supreme Court held that military commissions must adhere to established U.S. military court procedure, unless Congress grants permission for those procedures to be altered. Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, Senator Reed predicted Republicans and Democrats¹¹ in Congress will work together, so that terror suspects are tried as the Bush administration wants.

"What it [the Supreme Court decision] insists is that the president come to the Congress - and in a deliberate fashion, and a democratic fashion, we give him the authority that he needs," he added.

That view was echoed by Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on NBC's Meet the Press program.

"The Congress is very, very likely to give the president exactly what he thinks he needs to continue to fight the war on terror. And it is important for all of us to remember that we have not been attacked here at home since 9-11 [September 11, 2001]. That is not an accident. The policies we have pursued are protecting us here at home," said McConnell.

The Bush administration has long insisted that the Geneva Conventions governing the treatment of prisoners of war do not apply to terror suspects, but that detainees will be treated humanely¹², nonetheless.

However, a five-justice majority in the Supreme Court ruled that military commissions, as they are currently constituted, violate a Geneva Conventions stipulation¹³ that prisoners be tried by "a regularly constituted court."

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham described the Supreme Court's invocation of the Geneva Conventions as "breathtaking."

"The question for this country is, should [whether] al-Qaida members, who do not sign up to the Geneva Convention, who show disdain¹⁴ for it, who butcher our troops, be given the protection of a treaty they are not part of. In my opinion, [the answer is] no," concluded Graham.

President Bush has said he would like to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities. But Senator McConnell downplayed any suggestion that the Supreme Court ruling would hasten an eventual¹⁵ decision to dismantle¹⁶ the camps and transfer the detainees.

Meanwhile, political and legal analysts¹⁷ say the Supreme Court decision could spark challenges to other areas where the Bush administration has asserted executive wartime privilege, including a program to wiretap international telephone conversations of suspected terrorists, without a warrant.

1 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。

2 perimeter   

n.周边，周长，周界

参考例句：

• The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.这条河标示我们的土地东面的边界。
• Drinks in hands,they wandered around the perimeter of the ball field.他们手里拿着饮料在球场周围漫不经心地遛跶。

3 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 reined   

勒缰绳使（马）停步( rein的过去式和过去分词 )； 驾驭； 严格控制； 加强管理

参考例句：

• Then, all of a sudden, he reined up his tired horse. 这时，他突然把疲倦的马勒住了。
• The officer reined in his horse at a crossroads. 军官在十字路口勒住了马。

11 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》

12 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

13 stipulation   

n.契约，规定，条文；条款说明

参考例句：

• There's no stipulation as to the amount you can invest. 没有关于投资额的规定。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The only stipulation the building society makes is that house must be insured. 建屋互助会作出的唯一规定是房屋必须保险。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 disdain   

n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑

参考例句：

• Some people disdain labour.有些人轻视劳动。
• A great man should disdain flatterers.伟大的人物应鄙视献媚者。

15 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

16 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。