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　　U.S. President Barack Obama said this week that his administration has to do a better job of dealing¹ with terrorism threats in the wake of the failed Christmas Day bomb plot aboard a commercial flight en route to Detroit. Opposition² Republicans have been critical of the administration's handling of the incident, and political experts have been assessing the fallout.
在圣诞节发生的阴谋炸毁一架飞往底特律的民航班机未遂事件之后，美国总统奥巴马表示，美国政府必须在处理恐怖威胁方面改进工作。反对党共和党人一直在批评行政当局对这个事件的处理，政治专家们正在评估其结果和影响。
The failed terror bomb plot constitutes Mr. Obama's most serious national security test to date, and the president has been quick to acknowledge that there is plenty of room for improvement.
炸飞机未遂事件，是迄今在国家安全方面对奥巴马最严峻的考验。奥巴马总统迅速承认，有很大的改进余地。
"So we have to do better, and we will do better," he said. "And we have to do it quickly. American lives are on the line."
奥巴马说：“我们必须改进，我们将会改进。我们必须迅速着手。这关系到美国人的生命。”
Opposition Republicans see an opening in the administration's flawed handling of the failed attack, and appear eager to highlight the incident as a potential campaign issue for the November midterm congressional elections.
反对党共和党人从行政当局处理这次事件的不当之处看到了机会，他们似乎乐于强调这个事件，作为11月美国国会中期选举的潜在竞选议题。
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele spoke³ on NBC's Today program.
共和党全国委员会主席迈克尔.斯蒂尔(Michael Steele)在NBC的"今日"节目中说：
"At some point this administration has to take responsibility for what it is doing and take responsibility for its decisions," he said. "They are having an impact, whether domestically or internationally, and you have got to account for it, and this is one of those break points where you stop and assess how is the administration doing? How are they performing?"
斯蒂尔说：“在某一阶段，本届行政当局不得不为自己的作为和决定负责。这些是有影响的，对国内外都是有影响的，你必须承担责任。这是事情的‘断点’之一，在这一点上，你停下来，评估行政当局做的如何，表现如何。”
The failed bomb attack has given the U.S. public a chance to see how the new president responds to a national security threat, says University of Virginia political analyst⁴ Larry Sabato.
美国维吉尼亚大学政治分析人士萨巴托表示，炸飞机未遂事件使美国民众有机会观察美国新总统如何应对国家安全受到的威胁。
"Obama is seen as a domestic policy president, somebody without much foreign policy or national security experience, and Americans naturally wonder and maybe worry about how he is going to deal with those issues," he said. "So, when an event like this occurs, it is incumbent⁵ upon a Democrat⁶ to react quickly and decisively, and Obama failed to do it."
萨巴托说：“奥巴马被看作是‘国内政策总统’，没有多少外交政策或者国家安全经验，美国人自然想知道--也许会担心--他怎样处理这些问题。所以，像这类事件发生后，民主党人有责任做出迅速而决断的反应，而奥巴马没有做好。”
Mr. Obama's handling of the Christmas Day incident has sparked comparisons with his predecessor⁷, former President George W. Bush. While Mr. Bush was clearly unpopular toward the end of his eight years in office, Americans generally had confidence in his ability to handle the threat of terrorism.
Author and political analyst Richard Wolffe was a guest on VOA's 'Issues in the News' program.
"One of the jobs of the president, whether you are named Bush or Obama, is to go out there and reassure⁸ people and to show you are in charge and to send a signal to potential enemies out there that this will not be tolerated by any American leader, and they did not project that power effectively," he said.
Mr. Obama won the presidency⁹ in 2008 largely because of the public's desire for change and concerns about the domestic economy. But a shift in emphasis to security issues offers a new set of challenges for the president.
奥巴马赢得2008年的大选，在很大程度上是因为美国人民想变革，关注国内经济。而重点转向安全问题，是对总统的种种新考验。
Matt Dallek is a political historian at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.
在华盛顿的跨党政策中心的政治历史学者戴勒克表示：
"National security was not the biggest issue," he said. "I think the economy emerged. And so I think they are concerned that on national security the Republicans could get the upper hand and hurt Obama politically."
“国家安全过去不是最大的问题。我认为经济问题过去更突出。所以我想，他们关注的是，在国家安全上，共和党人能占上风，在政治上伤害奥巴马。”
The national security challenge comes at a difficult time for Mr. Obama, who later this month will mark his first year in office.
国家安全上的挑战是在奥巴马的困难时刻来临的，奥巴马在本月晚些时候将迎来他执政一周年。
The president's signature domestic policy initiative, health care reform, faces one last round of congressional negotiation¹⁰ and debate before approval. And mixed economic signals continue to call into question how long it will take for the country to emerge from recession.
这位美国总统的国内政策创新--医疗保险改革，面临在批准之前的最后一轮国会谈判和辩论。有好有坏的经济信号继续使人们怀疑美国将需要多长时间来走出经济衰退。
Mr. Obama began his term with soaring approval ratings in public opinion polls. But those ratings have steadily¹¹ eroded¹² in recent months, says analyst Larry Sabato.
奥巴马刚上任时，民望很高。但是萨巴托认为，这种声望在最近几个月里稳步下滑。
"He is at 50 [percent] or below in most surveys, and that is mainly because of the economy, which continues to be stubbornly weak, the unemployment rate is very high and still in double-digits, and as a consequence Obama does not have much margin¹³ for error," he said.
萨巴托说：“在最近的一些民意调查中，他的支持率是50%或者不到50%，这主要因为经济问题，经济仍然顽固地疲软，失业率很高，还是两位数，结果，奥巴马没有多少犯错误的余地。”
Despite the problems Mr. Obama remains¹⁴ personally popular, even if voters do not approve of his policies. And Republicans have their own challenges trying to find new leaders and craft a cohesive¹⁵ message beyond simply opposing the president and his policies.
尽管有这些问题，即使在选民们不支持他的政策的情况下，奥巴马个人仍然很得人心。共和党人也面临一些挑战，他们需要找到新领导人，也需要发出有凝聚力的信息，而不是简单地反对总统及其政策。
Darrell West is with the Brookings Institution in Washington.
"President Obama continues to inspire great confidence from the American public, especially when you compare him to other political leaders," said West.
That confidence will likely be put to the test as the administration's review of its handling of the failed bombing attack unfolds in the weeks ahead.