VOA标准英语2008年-Clinton to End Presidential Bid, Endorse Obama

By Michael Bowman
Washington
05 June 2008

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton says she will end her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination¹ on Saturday and endorse² rival Senator Barack Obama, who has now secured enough delegates to win the nomination. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.
　

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during her South Dakota and Montana primary night event in New York, 3 June 2008

In a carefully-worded announcement, the Clinton campaign says the New York senator will "thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity³."

The statement does not say that Clinton will officially concede the race to the Illinois senator, a fact that leads many observers to conclude that she will likely suspend her campaign but retain the delegates she earned during the recently-concluded primary season.

Theoretically, she could reenter the race if misfortune were to strike Obama, or if something were to emerge that shook the faith of superdelegates, the party elders and elected officials that helped Obama clinch⁴ the nomination earlier this week.

In an e-mail message to supporters, Clinton noted⁵ that she has always promised to support the Democratic nominee⁶. She said she intends "to deliver on that promise" and that she wants to "rally the party behind Senator Obama."

Since becoming the presumptive presidential nominee earlier this week, Obama has begun to focus his attention on Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. Both candidates have begun the process of choosing a vice⁷ presidential nominee.

Polls show most voters who backed Hillary Clinton want Obama to choose her as his running mate. Several high-profile supporters of the New York Senator have expressed the same hope. Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman spoke⁸ on CBS' The Early Show.

"The best-case scenario⁹ is that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton run together as president and vice president," Wasserman said.
　

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama steps off the plane at the airport in Mountville, Tennessee, 05 June 2008

Some Clinton backers have gone so far as to mount a petition drive demanding Obama offer Clinton the vice presidential slot. But one prominent Clinton ally, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, thinks any effort to force Obama's hand will be counterproductive.

"You do not bargain with the presidential nominee, even if you are Hillary Clinton and you have 18 million votes. You do not bargain," Rendell said.

Interviewed by U.S. television networks Wednesday, the Illinois senator repeatedly deflected¹⁰ questions about his running mate selection.

"It is premature¹¹ to answer [that question]. We are going to go through a process," Obama said on CBS television. "We have a committee that is going to go through all the names [of potential vice presidential picks]. It is going to be deliberate. This is an important decision."

Clinton had no public events Thursday, while Obama is holding two campaign events in Virginia, a state that unusually votes Republican in presidential contests but which the Obama campaign thinks could fall in the Democratic column this year. John McCain is spending the day in the key battleground state of Florida.

McCain is proposing that he and Obama appear at weekly joint¹² town hall meetings across the country between now and the November election. The Obama campaign says the idea is appealing, but that many details would have to be worked out in advance.

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

3 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

4 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 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。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

10 deflected   

偏离的

参考例句：

• The ball deflected off Reid's body into the goal. 球打在里德身上反弹进球门。
• Most of its particles are deflected. 此物质的料子大多是偏斜的。

11 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。