President Bush and Democratic Candidate Kerry Spar Over US S

 

By Stephanie Ho

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is criticizing President Bush for not moving faster on implementing¹ security measures that were recently highlighted in a report by the so-called September 11 Commission. Senator Kerry and President Bush traded barbs² on national security in separate appearances Monday.
Speaking at a campaign rally in the Midwestern U.S. state of Michigan, Senator Kerry said he is pleased President Bush has adopted some of the 9/11 Commission' recommendations, including a decision to unify³ U.S. intelligence operations under a single National Intelligence Director. But the Democratic presidential candidate criticized the president for not moving quickly enough.
"If the president had a sense of urgency about this Director of Intelligence and about the needs to strengthen America, he would call the Congress back and get the job done now," he said. "That's what we need to do. That's the urgency that exists in order to make America as safe as possible. The terror alert yesterday just underscores, that if we're being serious about this, we have to move on every possible option, to make our nation as safe as possible. The time to act is now, not later."
Senator Kerry also said he agrees with assertions that current U.S. policy is creating more terrorists than it is stopping.
"The policies of this administration, I believe and others believe very deeply, have resulted in an increase of animosity and anger focused on the United States of America," he said. "And the intelligence agencies of our country will tell you and can tell you, it's not classified, that the madrasas, the schools that are teaching terror, the people who are training terror, are using our actions as a means of recruitment."
In a speech at the White House Rose Garden, President Bush said he and Senator Kerry simply have different opinions on how to wage the war on terror.
"I know in order to deal with these people, we must bring them to justice before they hurt us again. And so, we're on the offense⁴. The best way to protect the American homeland is to stay on the offense. It is a ridiculous notion to assert that because the United States is on the offense, more people want to hurt us. We're on the offense because people do want to hurt us."
In a separate news conference, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card answered Senator Kerry's charges that President Bush has not moved quickly enough to protect the United States after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"And the president took bold action when he created the Homeland Security adviser⁵ and the Homeland Security Council," he said. "He took bold action when he created the Department of Homeland Security. He took bold action when he created the Terrorist Threat Integration⁶ Center and called for the passage of the Patriot⁷ Act. And this builds on that success."
Meanwhile, World Bank employee Maya Laureden-Bonhomme says she is trying to go on with her life as normal, despite heightened terrorist alerts around several financial institutions in the United States.
"I cannot live in fear, she said. "I cannot. That's not my style. So I will come to work. I will do what I always do -- live."
New polls show little or no change in the number of Americans who support Senator Kerry, following last week's Democratic National Convention. The numbers show President Bush and his Democratic challenger with basically equal support.
Stephanie Ho, VOA News, Washington.注释：
spar 争论
implement 执行
highlight 突出,强调
Intelligence Operation 情报行动
result in 导致
animosity 仇恨，憎恶
recruitment 征募新兵
ridiculous 荒谬的，可笑的
the Homeland Security adviser 国土安全顾问
the Homeland Security Council 国土安全委员会
the Department of Homeland Security 国土保安部
the Terrorist Threat Integration Center 反恐怖主义威胁协调中心
financial institution 金融机构
Democratic National Convention 美国民主党全国代表大会

1 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

2 barbs   

n.（箭头、鱼钩等的）倒钩( barb的名词复数 )；带刺的话；毕露的锋芒；钩状毛

参考例句：

• She slung barbs at me. 她说了些讥刺我的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I would no longer uncomplainingly accept their barbs or allow their unaccountable power to go unchallenged. 我不会再毫无怨言地洗耳恭听他们带刺的话，或让他们的不负责任的权力不受到挑战。 来自辞典例句

3 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

4 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

5 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。

6 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

7 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。