VOA标准英语2012--Obama, Romney Look to November Showdown

Obama, Romney Look to November Showdown

 

President Barack Obama’s surprise trip to Afghanistan on the first anniversary of the death of Osama bin¹ Laden² is the latest indication that foreign policy and national security issues will matter this election year, even if most political analysts³ predict that the economy will be the central issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.

While in Afghanistan, the president signed a long-term security agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and met with U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field. And, in a televised address, Obama spoke⁴ about winding⁵ down the U.S. military commitment in Afghanistan.

"I will not keep Americans in harm's way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security," the president said. "But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan and end this war responsibly."

To highlight the one-year anniversary of bin Laden's death, the Obama presidential campaign released a video recalling the decision to go after the al-Qaida leader and the tense moments that followed.

“He took the harder and the more honorable path,” former U.S. President Bill Clinton said in the video. 

The Obama campaign also raised the issue of whether the president's expected Republican opponent in November, Mitt⁶ Romney, would have approved the bin Laden raid - based on a 2007 comment he made questioning the resources devoted⁷ to the manhunt.

Romney appeared in New York City on the bin Laden anniversary with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"Of course I would have ordered taking out Osama bin Laden, of course," he said. "This is a person who had done terrible harm to America."

President Obama gets high marks from the public for his handling of foreign policy and that's why Romney is likely to keep hammering away at the president’s economic record.

“We need a president who understands the power of free enterprise because he’s lived it," Romney said. "And I have, and I will, and I’ll make sure that that is part of our future.”

The Obama-Romney race is shaping up as close, says Ken⁸ Duberstein, former chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan.

“If this is a referendum on the American economy, Governor Romney has a good shot of being elected president of the United States," he said. "If this is a referendum on the Republican Party and Governor Romney, President Obama has a decent chance of being re-elected.”

Romney is already shifting his focus away from conservatives to winning over moderates in November.

“I think the fundamental issue is whether Governor Romney will define the Republican Party or will the far right define Governor Romney,” Duberstein said.

With the election six months away, the president has a slight lead over Romney in most public opinion polls.

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 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。

5 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

6 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

7 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

8 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.