经济学人161:欢喜冤家

　　Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon
德怀特·艾森豪威尔和理查德·尼克松
The odd couple
欢喜冤家
They were more alike than is often thought
他们的相似之处比人们通常想的要多
Take a few swings
挥几杆
Ike and Dick: Portrait of a Strange Political Marriage. By Jeffrey Frank.
书名：《艾森豪威尔和尼克松：一场奇特的政治联合》作者：Jeffrey Frank
BETWEEN 1933 and 1977 only two Republican presidents were elected, Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. They are often seen as opposites: the hero and the crook². Eisenhower was the genial³, selfless five-star general who seemed to float above the fray⁴ of party politics. Nixon was the cold, conniving⁵ liar⁶, paranoid and petty. Jeffrey Frank, a former senior editor at the New Yorker, has written a book about the unlikely duo, which offers a more nuanced portrait of their personalities⁷. Though they disagreed about politics and struggled to get on, Ike and Dick were more alike than is often thought.
1933至1977年间，只有两名共和党人士当选总统，他们就是德怀特·艾森豪威尔和理查德·尼克松。人们通常认为他俩的为人截然相反—一个是英雄，一个是坏蛋。在人们眼中，艾森豪威尔是一名和蔼可亲、无私奉献的五星上将，似乎总是置身于党派间斗争之外；尼克松则是一个冷酷无情、精于暗算、生性多疑、心胸狭窄的骗子。曾在《纽约客》任资深编辑的Jeffrey Frank写了一本书，内容就是关于这两位并不像搭档的双人组合，该书更加细致地描述了他们的性格。虽然他俩在政治上各执己见、关系也处的不是太好，但艾森豪威尔和尼克松的相似之处比人们通常认为的要多。
Eisenhower picked Nixon as his vice-presidential nominee⁸ in 1952 because he had qualities Ike lacked. The old warhorse from Kansas needed someone young and nakedly political. An anti-communist would satisfy the party and a Californian would help to win over the Golden State. Nixon it was. It did not matter so much that the pair squabbled. They won 39 out of 48 states and 55% of the popular vote.
1952年，艾森豪威尔指定尼克松为他的副总统候选人，因为后者有他自己所不具备的特质。艾森豪威尔——这名来自堪萨斯的老兵需要一个纯政界出身的年轻人。这个人最好是反共的，因为这样可以满足其党派之需；最好还是个加州人，这样就可以帮助他赢得加州人民的支持——尼克松就是不二之选。这两人是否相处得融洽并不重要，重要的是他俩获得了48个州中39个州的支持，并囊括了55%的选票。
They often failed to see eye-to-eye. Nixon was a hawkish⁹ adviser¹⁰ who blamed Democrats¹¹ for losing China to communism. Eisenhower strove to avoid war at any cost. He ended the Korean war and refused to send soldiers to Vietnam, Hungary and Suez. The two had different views about the space race as well. When Russia launched the satellite Sputnik into space in 1957, Nixon saw it as a failure of Western civilisation¹². Eisenhower said, “Any of you fellows want to go to the moon? I don't. I'm happier right here.”
他们往往做不到“心有灵犀”。作为一名鹰派顾问，尼克松指责民主党把中国丢到了共产党手中。艾森豪威尔尽最大努力不惜一切代价阻止战争的发生。他结束了朝鲜战争、拒绝派士兵到越南、匈牙利和苏伊士。两人就太空竞赛的意见也不相同。当苏联于1957年把Sputnik卫星发射升空时，尼克松视之为西方文明的失败。而艾森豪威尔则说：“你们有谁想奔月吗？我可不想，我在这儿就挺高兴的”。
This was a source of tension between them. Nixon would grumble¹³ about foreign policy and defence. He could be bitter. “This ‘togetherness' bullshit,” he said of Eisenhower's doveish multilateralist defence policy, “I don't believe in that. I think the time will come when we'll look back at this era and ask ourselves whether we were crazy or something.” Ike could be standoffish in return.
那是他俩不和的一个原因。尼克松常常抱怨美国的外交政策及防御策略，他的言论有时会很尖刻——对于艾森豪威尔的鸽派多边防御政策，尼克松说道：“这种‘团结一致'纯是扯淡，我一点儿也不相信。我认为，总有一天，我们会回首这一阶段，并问问自己我们是不是疯了还是怎么的。”对此，艾森豪威尔回应冷淡。
But Ike needed Dick to be his political hound dog. Nixon savaged¹⁴ the administration's opponents, which allowed the president to be an apolitical, national figurehead. An aide called this Eisenhower's “dirty work”. When Joseph McCarthy, a Republican Senator, overreached in his crusade to hunt communists from public life, Adlai Stevenson, a targeted Democratic governor of Illinois, pointedly¹⁵ declared that a “political party divided against itself, half McCarthy and half Eisenhower, cannot produce national unity¹⁶.” Eisenhower decided¹⁷ it was time to restrain McCarthy. A fervent¹⁸ anti-communist and talented orator¹⁹, Nixon was well placed for this. He laid into McCarthy on Saturday-night television, logically unweaving his illiberal²⁰ argument. “It was just right, Dick,” Eisenhower said over the telephone.
但艾森豪威尔需要尼克松来充当他在政治方面的喉舌。尼克松猛烈抨击艾森豪威尔政府的反对者，这样艾森豪威尔就能成为一名政治中立的国家名誉总统。一名助手称这是艾森豪威尔的“肮脏把戏”。当共和党参议员约瑟夫-麦卡锡过分地从公众生活中抓捕共产党员时，被指定为伊利诺伊州州长的民主党派阿德莱·史蒂文森(Adlai Stevenson)对此直言不讳：“一个内部分裂的政党—一边是麦卡锡、一边是艾森豪威尔——是不能促进国家团结统一的”。因此艾森豪威尔决定，是时候让麦卡锡收敛收敛了。尼克松——这名狂热的反共分子、天才的演说家—正适合这一角色。在周六晚的电视节目上，尼克松把麦卡锡劈头盖脸地一顿骂，条理明晰地一一击破了对方的狭隘论点。艾森豪威尔在电话中对尼克松说：“尼克松，干得好”。
Eisenhower could be ignoble²¹, too. After the Supreme²² Court declared segregated²³ schools unconstitutional in 1954, he wrote, “No other single event has so disturbed the domestic scene in many years.” Martin Luther King observed that Nixon did more for race relations than Eisenhower. Nixon spoke²⁴ passionately²⁵ about civil rights on the stump²⁶. He took on critics during the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
艾森豪威尔也可能不会正大光明。1954年，在最高法院宣布“实行种族隔离制度的学校是违法的”之后，他写道：“这是多年来最扰乱国内形势的事件了”。马丁路德金称：与艾森豪威尔相比，尼克松在种族间关系方面做的工作更多。尼克松在作巡回政治演说时，激情洋溢地谈论了公民权利。在1957年民权法案通过期间，尼克松与批评家展开了较量。
At a time when political machinations are all too overt²⁷, it is entertaining to learn about the wheeling and dealing²⁸ during a more discreet²⁹ age. Yet readers may wish less space was devoted³⁰ to how Dick felt about Ike, and then how Ike felt about Dick. All this gossip seems to take up valuable space: the Suez crisis, for example, covers no more than two pages. The Iran coup¹ and important details about America's economy are missed out altogether. Mr Frank tells an absorbing story in a breezy, lucid³¹ way. But as a work of history, the book leaves something to be desired.
在当今政治阴谋得以明目张胆之时，看看在更谨慎的年代人们是如何尔虞我诈的不失为一种有趣的作法。然而，读者朋友们可能希望关于他俩对彼此看法的篇幅不要占的过大。所有的这些流言蜚语似乎占据了宝贵的空间：比如苏伊士运河危机只占了不到两页；1953年伊朗政变和关于美国经济的重要细节全被忽略了。本书作者明晰而风趣地讲述了一个引人入胜的故事。但作为一部历史著作，本书还有些不尽如人意的地方。

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 crook   

v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)

参考例句：

• He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。
• She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

3 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

4 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

5 conniving   

v.密谋 ( connive的现在分词 )；搞阴谋；默许；纵容

参考例句：

• She knew that if she said nothing she would be conniving in an injustice. 她知道她如果什么也不说就是在纵容不公正的行为。
• The general is accused of conniving in a plot to topple the government. 将军被指控纵容一个颠覆政府的阴谋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 liar   

n.说谎的人

参考例句：

• I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了，一个又偷又骗的家伙！
• She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。

7 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

8 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。

9 hawkish   

adj. 鹰派的, 强硬派的

参考例句：

• My staff's advice that first day was amazingly hawkish. 在第一天，我的僚属们的意见是令人吃惊的鹰派意见。
• Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet. 反战团体担心巴拉克·奥巴马可以创建强硬派内阁。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 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》

12 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

13 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

14 savaged   

（动物）凶狠地攻击（或伤害）( savage的过去式和过去分词 )； 残害； 猛烈批评； 激烈抨击

参考例句：

• The horse threw its rider to the ground and savaged him. 那马将骑马者摔在地上，乱踢他。
• The drink had savaged him. 酒使他变得野蛮。

15 pointedly   

adv.尖地，明显地

参考例句：

• She yawned and looked pointedly at her watch. 她打了个哈欠，又刻意地看了看手表。
• The demand for an apology was pointedly refused. 让对方道歉的要求遭到了断然拒绝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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。

17 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

18 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。

19 orator   

n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• The orator gestured vigorously while speaking.这位演讲者讲话时用力地做手势。

20 illiberal   

adj.气量狭小的，吝啬的

参考例句：

• His views are markedly illiberal.他的观点非常狭隘。
• Don't be illiberal in your words to show your love.不要吝啬自己的语言表达你的情感。

21 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

22 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。

23 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

24 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。

25 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

26 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

27 overt   

adj.公开的，明显的，公然的

参考例句：

• His opponent's intention is quite overt.他的对手的意图很明显。
• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。

28 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

29 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

30 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。

31 lucid   

adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的

参考例句：

• His explanation was lucid and to the point.他的解释扼要易懂。
• He wasn't very lucid,he didn't quite know where he was.他神志不是很清醒，不太知道自己在哪里。