VOA常速英语2008年-Hillary Clinton Says She Misspoke About Bosnia

By Jim Malone
Washington
25 March 2008

In the U.S. presidential election campaign, Democrat¹ Hillary Clinton was on the defensive² Tuesday about a 1996 visit to Bosnia while Republican John McCain sought to boost his economic credentials³. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone is following the campaign from Washington.

Senator Clinton is campaigning in Pennsylvania, which will host a presidential primary on April 22.

Public opinion polls give Clinton a comfortable lead in Pennsylvania over rival Barack Obama.

But for the second straight day, Clinton found herself playing defense⁴ over a visit to Bosnia in 1996 as First Lady.

Last week, Clinton said she recalled landing at the airport under sniper fire and that she and other members of her party had to run to vehicles with their heads down.

But news footage of the visit showed an apparently⁵ relaxed Clinton greeted on the tarmac by a welcoming group that included an eight-year-old girl.

On Tuesday, Clinton told a news conference that the long grind of the presidential campaign had caused her to misspeak about the circumstances of the visit.

"I made a mistake and, you know, I had a different memory," she said. "And you know, my staff and others have, you know, all kind of come together trying to sort out. So I made a mistake. That happens. It proves I am human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation."

Senator Obama will resume his campaign with a visit to North Carolina on Wednesday after a short vacation in the Virgin⁶ Islands.

Meanwhile, the presumed Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, focused on the economy Tuesday in a speech in California.

McCain said he is open to a variety of possible solutions to the home finance crisis in the U.S., adding that he would not allow what he called political dogma to override⁷ common sense.

"Let us start with some straight talk," he said. "I will not play election year politics with the housing crisis. I will evaluate everything in terms of whether it might be harmful or helpful to our effort to deal with the crisis we face now."

McCain has been criticized for focusing his campaign too much on the war in Iraq and not enough on addressing domestic economic concerns, which has become the top issue for voters. 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

3 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

4 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。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

7 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。