VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Confident of Success in Basra Fighting

By Scott Stearns
Washington
27 March 2008

President Bush says Iraqi security forces fighting in Basra will need time to overcome Shiite militias², but he is confident the government in Baghdad will prevail.  VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports Mr. Bush says the Iraqi offensive is a direct result of security gains made be a surge of U.S. troops.

President Bush says the fighting in Basra shows the progress Iraqi security forces have made since he sent more than 30,000 U.S. reinforcements to Iraq one year ago.

"Iraqi security forces are waging a tough battle against militia¹ fighters and criminals in Basra, many of whom have received arms and training and funding from Iran," the president said. "Prime Minister Maliki's bold decision - and it was a bold decision - to go after the illegal groups in Basra shows his leadership and his commitment to enforce the law in an even-handed manner."

Mr. Bush spoke³ to Air Force personnel on a base in the Midwest state of Ohio. He said Iraqi officials planned the operation in Basra, deployed⁴ extra forces, and are leading the fighting, with Prime Minister Maliki in the southern oil city himself overseeing the fight.

President Bush said it shows the Iraqi people that their government is committed to protecting them.

"This operation is going to take some time to complete, and the enemy will try to fill the TV screens with violence. But the ultimate result will be this: Terrorists and extremists in Iraq will know they have no place in a free and democratic society," he said.

The president again called on Iran and Syria to stop supporting violence and terrorism in Iraq.

This was the second in a series of speeches Mr. Bush is giving ahead of next month's progress report on Iraq by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top U.S. commander there, General David Petraeus.

Petraeus has indicated that once troop levels in Iraq return to pre-surge levels of about 140,000 by July, he would like a pause in the troop drawdown to evaluate the security situation.

President Bush says he will carefully consider the advice of commanders on the ground before deciding on further troop withdrawals⁵.

"As I consider the way forward, I will always remember that the progress in Iraq is real, it is substantive⁶, but it is reversible," Mr. Bush said. "And so the principle behind my decision on our troop levels will be insuring that we succeed in Iraq."

The president criticized opposition⁷ Democrats⁸, who have been calling for further troop withdrawals from Iraq so the military can focus on fighting terrorism elsewhere.  Mr. Bush said that argument makes no sense.

The president again linked the war in Iraq with security in the United States, saying America's strategic interests lay in the convergence between what he called the twin threats of al-Qaida and Iran.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

6 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

7 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。

8 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》