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　　As Democrats² send presidential candidate Barack Obama off on his quest for the White House, the Republicans and their candidate, John McCain, are preparing for their national nominating convention, which begins Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The Democrats made Barack Obama the focus of their convention this past week in Denver, and not surprisingly, the Republicans plan to do the same at their convention next week.
就在民主党人把他们的总统候选人巴拉克.奥巴马送上通往白宫的征途时，共和党人和他们的候选人约翰.麦凯恩也在为共和党提名大会作准备。这次大会将于星期一在明尼苏达州的明尼阿波利斯和圣保罗举行。在过去一个星期中，民主党人把在丹佛举行的全国代表大会的焦点集中在奥巴马身上，可以想象，共和党人也计划在下周的全国大会上聚焦于他们的候选人麦凯恩。
After all the convention speeches and political attacks, balloon drops and celebrity³ guests, the presidential election will still boil down to a simple choice - Democrat¹ Barack Obama or Republican John McCain.
当所有的大会讲话、政治攻击、气球从天而降的庆祝活动和明星嘉宾的表演都结束后，美国总统选举将依然回归到一个简单的问题上，那就是在民主党的奥巴马和共和党的麦凯恩之间作出选择。
Political expert Stuart Rothenberg has been watching the Democrats hold their convention in Denver this week and has been looking ahead to the general election campaign, which begins in earnest after the Republican Convention.
政治专家罗滕伯格一直在关注本周在丹佛举行的民主党大会，他还对共和党全国大会之后将正式开始的总统大选活动作出了预测。
"I do think the election continues to be about Barack Obama," he said. "The desire for change in the country is strong, and if Senator Obama can convince most Americans, the majority of Americans, that he will be a seasoned, sensible, trustworthy leader, I think they are going to take a chance with him. So far, he hasn't closed the deal."
他说：“我认为奥巴马还将是选举的焦点。美国人强烈地渴望看到改变，如果奥巴马参议员能说服大多数美国人，让他们相信他是一个有经验的、明智的、值得信任的领袖，那么美国人就会愿意冒着一定的风险选他。不过，到目前为止，奥巴马还没能做到这一点。”
Even in Denver, Republicans did all they could to cast doubt about Obama's political experience, his ability to lead the country and his readiness to be commander-in-chief.
甚至在丹佛，共和党人也在竭尽全力对奥巴马的政治经验、领导国家的能力和统帅三军的资格表示疑问。
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani lost out to John McCain in the Republican primaries this year, but Giuliani is now going after Obama as one of McCain's main surrogate campaigners.
前纽约市长朱利亚尼在今年的共和党初选中败给了麦凯恩，而他现在成了麦凯恩选举班子的代理活动家， 经常攻击奥巴马。
"And I think Senator McCain would keep us on offense⁴ against terrorism, and therefore protect us, and I think Senator Obama would put us back on defense⁵ and that that would be certainly not as safe a situation for this country," said Giuliani. "Senator Obama's lack of knowledge about foreign policy is a serious concern.
他说：“我认为，麦凯恩参议员将保持我们对恐怖主义的主动进攻，从而保护我们。我认为奥巴马参议员则会把我们带回消极防守，而这一定会有损美国的安全。奥巴马缺乏外交政策方面的知识，这是一个非常令人担心的问题。”
Democrats are well aware of the concerns that Obama is simply too inexperienced, especially in the areas of foreign policy and national security.
民主党人很明白这一点，奥巴马的确非常缺乏经验，特别是在外交政策和国家安全方面。
Former President Bill Clinton reminded Democrats this week that this year's Republican attacks on Obama have a familiar ring to them.
美国前总统克林顿本周提醒民主党人，共和党今年对奥巴马的攻击不过是故计重施。
"We prevailed in a hard campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander in chief," he said. "Sound familiar? It did not work in 1992 because we were on the right side of history, and it will not work in 2008 because Barack Obama is on the right side of history!"
他说：“共和党人曾说我太年青，太缺乏经验，不能担任三军统帅，不过我们还是赢得了那场艰难的选举。他们这些话听起来耳熟么？这种攻击在1992年没有奏效，因为我们站在历史正确的一方，这种攻击在2008年也不会奏效，因为奥巴马站在历史正确的一方!”
University of Virginia analyst⁶ Larry Sabato says the Democrats will also try to capitalize on Obama's early opposition⁷ to the war in Iraq.
"What the Democrats have been saying is that experience did not keep us out of an unpopular war and that judgment⁸ is better than experience," he said. "So they are stressing different parts of Obama's biography."
But McCain supporters are just as adamant⁹ that Obama's plan to withdraw most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months is reckless and jeopardizes¹⁰ the hard-won improvements in security inside Iraq.
Expert Stuart Rothenberg looks for a full week of attacks on Obama at the Republican convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
政治专家罗滕伯格预计，当为期一周的共和党全国大会在明尼阿波利斯和圣保罗召开时，共和党人会不断地攻击奥巴马。
"But the McCain folks have been very aggressive in changing that, in putting the onus¹¹ on Obama, and I think they will have to continue to be aggressive," he said. "Because the bottom line is that, although this race is close, and John McCain could win, Barack Obama has a slight advantage. And so, McCain has to continue to keep the heat on Obama."
他说：“麦凯恩的班子一直很有进攻性，一直让奥巴马疲于应付他们的进攻。我认为，他们必须继续保持这样的进攻。因为最基本的问题是，虽然现在双方实力接近，而且麦凯恩有可能赢得选举，但是奥巴马还是占有略微优势。所以麦凯恩必须继续保持对奥巴马的攻击。”
Most experts agree the economy will be the major issue in the election this year, and, at the moment, they give Obama and the Democrats an edge in that area.
大部分专家认为，经济将是今年选举的主要议题。他们认为，目前奥巴马和民主党在这一方面占微弱的领先地位。
Recent polls show Obama and McCain in a virtual dead heat in the race for the White House, with less than 10 weeks to go until Election Day on November 4.
最近的民意调查结果显示，在距离11月4号选举日还有不到10个星期的时候，奥巴马和麦凯恩在通往白宫的较量中依然势均力敌。