2007年VOA标准英语-McCain Condemns Democrats for Troop Withdrawal

By Jim Malone
Washington
11 April 2007

Republican presidential contender John McCain made an impassioned plea for public support for the war in Iraq Wednesday. Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidates are pressing just as hard for Congress to set a date for the withdrawal¹ of U.S. troops from Iraq beginning next year. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has the latest from Washington.

Senator John McCain speaking in Baghdad's Green Zone, 1 Apr 2007

Senator McCain has been lagging behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in some recent public-opinion polls of Republican presidential favorites.

McCain hoped to re-invigorate his presidential campaign with a speech before the Virginia Military Institute.

McCain recently returned from his fifth visit to Iraq and reported some improvement in quelling² sectarian violence in the Iraqi capital.

"In Baghdad, we are making progress," said McCain. "We have a long way to go, but for the first time in four years we have a strategy that deals with how things really are in Iraq, and not how we wish them to be."

McCain accused congressional Democrats³ of being reckless in their efforts to insert a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq beginning next year into a spending bill that funds the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush has vowed⁴ to veto any bill that includes a withdrawal deadline.

McCain said a defeat for the United States in Iraq would be a cause for mourning and he said it is imperative⁵ to avoid what he said would be a disaster if U.S. forces left the country.

"We who are willing to support this new strategy and give [U.S. commander in Iraq] General Petraeus the time and support he needs have chosen a hard road," he added.  "But it is the right road and it is necessary and just."

Democrats were quick to take issue with McCain's comments on Iraq. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama issued a statement that said progress in Iraq should be measured by facts on the ground, not fantasies.

Obama also took note of McCain's highly publicized recent visit to a market in Baghdad where he spoke⁶ of progress on security, surrounded by dozens of U.S. soldiers.

"The idea that the situation in Iraq is improving because it takes a security detail of 100 soldiers, Blackhawk helicopters and Apache [helicopter] gunships to go to a market in the middle of Baghdad is simply not credible," said Obama.

Obama's comments were made in an Internet discussion of Iraq for Democratic presidential contenders arranged by the liberal activist⁷ group MoveOn.org.

Fellow Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton also took part.

"It is time, once and for all, to end our involvement in Iraq," she said.

Political experts say McCain's steadfast⁸ support for President Bush's strategy on Iraq may be costing him support in public opinion polls.

Recent polls have suggested Republicans would welcome former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson to join the race. Thompson says he is being treated for a slow-growing form of cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which he said is in remission.

Thompson is well known for his acting⁹ in movies and on television, and said the cancer should not affect his life expectancy¹⁰. Thompson is expected to decide on a presidential bid in the next few months.

Thompson's health disclosure comes just weeks after Elizabeth Edwards announced that she is being treated for a recurrence¹¹ of cancer. She is married to Democratic presidential contender and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 quelling   

v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Quelling her grief, she said 'Good-bye! 'again and went on. 她把悲痛压下去，二番说了一声再见，又转身走去了。 来自辞典例句
• The police succeeded in quelling the riot. 警方把暴乱镇压了下去。 来自辞典例句

3 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》

4 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

5 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

6 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。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 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。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

11 recurrence   

n.复发，反复，重现

参考例句：

• More care in the future will prevent recurrence of the mistake.将来的小心可防止错误的重现。
• He was aware of the possibility of a recurrence of his illness.他知道他的病有可能复发。