President Bush has paid tribute to the historic nature of President-elect Barack Obama's victory at the polls, and promised to stay in close contact with him in the final months of his administration to ensure a smooth transition of power.
布什总统已向当选总统奥巴马历史性的胜利表示敬意，并且承诺在他的政府最后几个月的执政期间与奥巴马保持密切联系，以确保权力的顺利交接。
President Bush said he had telephone conversations late Tuesday with the president-elect as well as his Republican rival, Senator John McCain.
布什总统说，他星期二夜间与当选总统奥巴马以及奥巴马的共和党对手麦凯恩参议员通了电话。
Speaking from the Rose Garden less than 24 hours after Mr. Obama's overwhelming victory, Mr. Bush, who is no stranger to partisan battles, struck a distinctly non-partisan tone.
布什总统在奥巴马以压倒优势获胜后不到24小时，就在玫瑰园发表谈话，布什在党派之争中已身经百战，而他的言词里回响著超越党派的基调。
"No matter how they cast their ballots, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday," he said. "Across the country, citizens voted in large numbers. They showed a watching world the vitality of America's democracy and the strides we have made towards a more perfect union. They chose a president whose journey represents a triumph of the American story, a testament to hard work, optimism, and faith in the enduring promise of our nation," said President Bush.
布什说：“不论他们怎样投票，全体美国人民都为自己昨天开创了历史而自豪。全国各地的众多公民都参加了投票。他们在举世嘱目下显示了美国民主体制的生命力，以及我们迈向更为圆满的团结所走过的路程。他们选择了一位总统，这位总统的人生历程是美国故事的典范，它证实努力工作、保持乐观精神以及对我们国家的承诺抱有坚定不移的信心，会获得成功。”
Mr. Bush said the moment is particularly uplifting for those who lived through America's turbulent civil rights era in the 1950s and 60s, when the vestiges of government-sponsored racial discrimination were overcome.
Now, the president said, it is time for Americans to move forward as one nation.
布什总统说，如今是美国作为统一的整体齐步前进的时候了。
"We are embarking on a period of change in Washington, yet there are some things that will not change," Mr. Bush said. "The United States government will stay vigilant in meeting its most important responsibility: protecting the American people. And the world can be certain this commitment will remain steadfast under our next commander-in-chief," he said.
Mr. Bush said he will inform his successor of all important decisions made in the waning months of his administration, and that he has invited Mr. Obama and the president-elect's wife, Michelle, to the White House at their earliest convenience.
布什总统说，他将告知他的接班人他的政府在当政的最后几个月里所作的一切重要决定，而且他已邀请奥巴马以及夫人在方便的时候尽早来白宫作客。
He predicted it will be a stirring sight to watch the Obama family enter the White House, and that he and First Lady Laura Bush will return to Texas with many treasured memories of their time in Washington.
他预告，目睹奥巴马一家入主白宫是激动人心的，他和夫人劳拉将带著他们在华盛顿的许多珍贵回忆返回德克萨斯。
During the just-completed campaign, Mr. Obama often criticized President Bush's policies, and sought to link Senator McCain to them. Mr. Bush also paid tribute to Senator McCain, saying the American people will always be grateful for his lifetime of service to the nation.
奥巴马在刚结束的竞选中常常批评布什总统的政策，并且寻求把麦凯恩与布什总统的政策相提并论。布什总统也对麦凯恩表示敬意，他说，美国人民将对麦凯恩终生为国服务而永远心存感激。 |