2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Sees Good Results in Iraq

By Scott Stearns
White House
11 August 2007

U.S. President George Bush Saturday hosted a social lunch for French President Nicholas Sarkozy at the Bush family home in Maine. VOA White House correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush said in his weekly radio address there is encouraging progress in Iraq. Opposition¹ Democrats² say the war is undermining America's military readiness.

President Bush, left, stands with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the home of former President George HW Bush, right, 11 Aug. 2007

President Bush says his strategy to send more U.S. troops to Iraq is delivering good results.

"The enemy in Iraq is still dangerous, and the surge is still in its early stages," he said.  "Changing conditions on the ground is difficult work. But our troops are proving that it can be done."

In his weekly radio address, the president says encouraging developments in Iraq include a coalition³ airstrike that killed the al-Qaida terrorist behind the bombing of a major Shi'ite shrine⁴ in Samarra.

That 2006 bombing set off the sectarian violence that has killed thousands of Iraqis.

A public opinion poll this past week by CNN showed nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the war, about the same number who disapprove⁵ of how the president is doing his job.

Mr. Bush hopes to rebuild some support for the war ahead of a report to Congress next month by the U.S. ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

On Thursday, President Bush told reporters at the White House that building support for the war is difficult when political progress in Iraq has been slower than hoped.

"A lot of Americans look at it and say, there's nothing happening there; there's, like, no government at all, I expect they're saying," he added.

In the Democratic radio address, California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher says the war in Iraq is hurting military readiness by forcing troops to return to battle too soon.

The army recommends two years away from combat for each year on the battlefield. Tauscher says U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are now getting 12 months at home for every 15 months in combat.

"The president's surge has sent many of our army units to Iraq for the second and third time," she said.  "We are asking our troops to make heroic sacrifices, yet as soon as they return, we rush them back into battle."

This picture taken 10 Aug 2007 shows Walker's Point, US President George W. Bush family compound in Kennebunkport

The House this past week passed Tauscher's legislation setting minimum periods of rest between deployments. President Bush says he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk, because it infringes⁶ on his powers as commander-in-chief.

President Bush met informally Saturday with French President Sarkozy. There was no agenda for the hamburger and hotdog picnic at the Bush family home in Maine.  White House officials have spoken of a new era in Franco-American relations.  The French president has also spoken of his friendship for the United States. In an unusual move for a French president, Mr. Sarkozy is vacationing in the United States, in the neighboring state of New Hampshire.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 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》

3 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。

4 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

5 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

6 infringes   

v.违反（规章等）( infringe的第三人称单数 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等）

参考例句：

• Congressmen may be reluctant to vote for legislation that infringes the traditional prerogatives of the states. 美国国会议员可能不情愿投票拥护侵犯各州传统特权的立法。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• I can't say whether CP21 infringes it or not. 我就不能说CP21是否侵犯了SPOT的专利。 来自企业管理英语口语（第二版）(2)