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　　Following Democrat¹ Barack Obama's victory in last week's presidential election, Republicans have begun a period of self-reflection about what went wrong and how to improve their prospects³ in the future. Any discussion of the party's future has to include Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who energized⁴ social conservatives as John McCain's vice⁵ presidential running mate.
民主党候选人奥巴马在美国的总统选举中获胜之后，共和党人开始思索和自我反省，希望找出这次错在哪里，而且未来应该如何改进。任何有关共和党未来的讨论自然都离不开麦凯恩的副总统候选人、阿拉斯加州的州长佩林。在刚刚过去的选举当中，佩林成功地动员了共和党内的社会保守派。
Sarah Palin has not exactly shunned⁶ the limelight since the Republican ticket lost the election.
共和党在总统大选中落败之后，佩林似乎一直在主动通过媒体来表达自己的观点。
Palin was one of the headline speakers at a meeting of Republican governors in Florida.
在佛罗里达州举行的共和党州长会议期间，她的讲话是各方关注的一个焦点。
"So now with the recent elections wrapped up, yup, on the federal level we are now the minority party," said Sarah Palin. "But let us resolve not to become the negative party, too eager to find fault or unwilling⁷ to help in this time of crisis and war. Losing an election does not have to mean losing our way."
佩林说：“最近的选举刚刚结束，在联邦整体来看，我们现在成了少数党。但是，我们绝不应该变成一个负面的政党，急著找替罪羊，或者是不愿在国家目前处于危难之际，主动做贡献。选举上一时的失败并不意味著我们从此就一败涂地了。”
Palin has also given several interviews in recent days, and clearly sounds interested in the possibility of running for president four years from now.
佩林这些天来接受了好几家媒体的采访，而且显然对4年之后，再度出山，表示有兴趣。
"I am not ruling that out," she said. "But there again, that is based on my philosophy that it is crazy to close a door before you even know it is open in front of you. You just have to be prepared and when you see opportunity and preparation meet, that is how you know that a door is open and you are ready to go through it."
她说：“我并不排除这种可能。我的哲学是，应该充分了解摆在自己面前的各种选择，然后再做决定。总是要做好准备，当机会和个人的准备衔接在一起的时候，那就是最好的时机。”
Sarah Palin is an appealing figure for many in the Republican Party, especially social conservatives. John McCain's decision to pick Governor Palin as his running mate excited social conservatives at the Republican convention.
萨拉.佩林对共和党内很多人，尤其是社会保守派来说，是个有吸引力的人物。约翰.麦凯恩选择佩林作为他竞选夥伴的决定，在共和党全国大会上让在社会议题上的保守派感到兴奋。
But a series of television interviews during the presidential campaign raised questions about Palin's experience and readiness for national office.
但是总统大选期间的一系列电视访问令人对佩林的经验和是否胜任国家级职务产生了疑问。
John Fortier is with the American Enterprise Institute. He is a guest on VOA's Encounter program.
美国企业研究所的约翰.福杰是美国之音一个广播辩论节目的来宾。
"But she was also very inexperienced and that certainly hurt her," said John Fortier. "Initially⁸ she had some appeal in the middle, and that dissipated as her inexperience came out. She was very strong with the [Republican] base. But at the end of the day, she was at best a wash and perhaps a small negative as the vice presidential pick."
福杰说：“但是她非常缺乏经验，这当然对她不利。一开始她对中间派有一些吸引力，但是在她显露出缺乏经验后，这种吸引力开始消失。她在共和党的基层得到非常强有力的支持。但是最终作为副总统人选，她充其量正负相抵，或许还有些减分。”
A draft Palin for president effort is already underway in North Carolina, and some conservative activists⁹ see her as a potential presidential nominee¹⁰ in 2012.
在北卡罗莱纳，已经有人开始着手选佩林做总统的策划工作。一些保守派活动人士把她看作是个有潜力的2012年总统提名人。
David Frum is a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
"But the main thing to do is to get back to the Republican Party of 1994 and reiterate¹¹ and reaffirm those core convictions under a nominee, possibly like Sarah Palin, or else under an intensified¹² Mitt¹³ Romney, someone who can do again what was done in the past," said David Frum.
他说：“但是最重要的是要回到1994年时的共和党，而且要通过一个候选人，重申和再度确定那些核心的信念。这个候选人可能是萨拉.佩林，或者是更强硬些的密特.罗姆尼，也就是要有个能再次展现过去的辉煌的人。”
Some Republicans see Palin as a bright spot in an otherwise bleak¹⁴ political landscape, at least in the short term. Beginning in January, Republicans will be without the White House for the first time in eight years, and will be a reduced minority party in Congress as well.
Political analyst¹⁵ Norman Ornstein says Republicans will be doing some soul-searching in the months ahead, trying to figure out how to better appeal to important voting groups such as moderate suburbanites, Hispanic-Americans, and women.
"And right now, finding a winning coalition¹⁶, an enduring coalition in regions, in demographic groups or ideologically¹⁷, is really, really difficult for Republicans," said Norman Ornstein.
Republicans will look to begin their comeback two years from now, in the mid-term congressional elections of 2010.
共和党人准备两年后在2010年的国会中期选举中卷土重来。
Scot Faulkner worked for former President Ronald Reagan and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
斯科特.福克纳曾经为前总统罗纳德.里根和前国会众院议长纽特.金里奇工作过。
Faulkner says Palin could begin laying the groundwork for a presidential run in 2012 by campaigning for Republican congressional candidates in 2010.
福克纳说，佩林可以先在2010年为共和党国会候选人竞选，为2012年的总统竞选打下基础。
"There is going to be a very lively discussion within the party," said Scot Faulkner. "The first one is going to be, who lost the election? Was it because of Bush? Was it because of Palin? Was it because of the Republicans in Congress? So there will be a lot of finger-pointing for the next six months and then people will start focusing on candidates for the off-year [congressional] elections in 2010, and then you will start to see the presidential candidates emerge to help those congressional candidates, and then we are off to the races for the next round."
福克纳说：“党内将会开展非常热烈的讨论。首先要讨论的是谁输掉了选举？是不是因为布什？还是佩林？还是因为国会共和党人？未来6个月中将会有许多责难，然后人们将开始集中关注2010年国会中期选举的候选人，你就会开始看到总统候选人出来帮助国会候选人，然后我们就开始下一轮竞选。”
Social conservatives are clearly excited by the prospect² of Sarah Palin running for president one day. But exit polls on Election Day found a majority of voters do not believe Palin has enough experience to be vice president or president, suggesting she has work to do to win over moderate Republicans and independent voters.
社会保守派人士明显对萨拉.佩林有朝一日能参加总统竞选的前景感到振奋。但是选举日举行的投票站出口民意调查显示，大部分选民不相信佩林有足够的经验担任副总统和总统。这显示佩林还需要尽力来争取温和派共和党人和独立选民的支持。