美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-11-27

 In Congress, the so called nuclear option doesn't refer to weapons. It refers to a procedure rule in the US Senate. It takes a simple majority, 51 votes. For the Senate to confirm the presidential nominee¹ but it takes 60 votes to hold the confirmation² vote or it used to. Yesterday, the Senate passed the nuclear option. Now, vote to vote only takes 51. The idea of requiring 60 votes was ensure to debate in the US Senate. To make sure that minority party in the Senate right now, Republican didn't give muscled out by the majority party, right now the Democrats³. Some senators arguing that 60 votes requirement was stopping anything from getting done. The new 51 vote rule only applies to executive judicial⁴ nominees⁵, not to supreme⁶ court nominees and remember, the majority party won't be the majority forever. When the power shift happens, senators from that party would get to experience the other side of this nuclear option rule. Next up, a potential deal between the US and Afghanistan. American forces were first sent to that country after the 911 terrorist attack in 2001. Sine he was elected, President Obama has promised to end that US combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The White House says that time frame is still on track but this mean deal could mean some American forces in Afghanistan after 2014.

 

Secretary of State John Kerry announced the deal that could leave thousands of US troops in Afghanistan for years to come. 

 

There's no combat rule for United States forces and the bilateral⁷ security agreement is in effort to try to clarify for Afghans and for United States military forces exactly what the rules are with respect to that ongoing⁸ relationship.

 

The draft agreement is now before an Afghan council of tribal⁹ leaders called the L. Untile they approve it, it's far from the done deal. To get their b., President K wants a letter of assurances from the White House, including a pledge US troops won't enter Afghan homes unless American soldiers' lives are at stake. Past raids have killed innocent Afghans and fueled anger among the population and K. says the US should acknowledge these past mistakes. But is that tantamount to an apology for U.S. actions in the 12-year war?

 

"I honestly don't know where the idea of an apology started, but let me be clear. President K. didn't ask for an apology. There was no discussion over an apology."

 

It oil boils down to semantics. US officials in the past have offered some form of apology for civilian¹⁰ deaths, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Former Defense¹¹ Secretary Robert Gates and General John Allen who led US Forces in Afghanistan. Even the draft agreement expresses regret for Afghan suffering and the loss of innocent lives, language one of President Obama's top advisors¹² repeated Wednesday.

 

"We have, of course, throughout the war always indicated regret when there are instances of civilian casualties but I think the Afghan people understand the great sacrifices that Americans have made on behalf of their security."

1 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。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 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》

4 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 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。

12 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网