Bush Says Kerry Would Make America Weaker

 

By Scott Stearns

This was to have been a speech on medical liability reform in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. But following last week's presidential debate, White House officials announced that President Bush would instead give a major speech on terrorism and the economy.
It was more a series of attacks against Senator Kerry's positions along with parts of the president's standard campaign speech.
"Twenty-seven days from today Americans will make a critical choice," he said. "My opponent offers an agenda that is stuck in the thinking and the policies of the past. On national security, he offers the defensive¹ mindset of September the 10th, a global test to replace American leadership, a strategy of retreat in Iraq, and a 20-year history of weakness in the United States Senate."
President Bush repeated his allegation that Senator Kerry is a so-called flip-flopper on Iraq, taking whatever position is most politically advantageous².
"My opponent's endless back and forth³ on Iraq is part of a larger misunderstanding. In the war on terror, Senator Kerry is proposing policies and doctrines⁴ that would weaken America and make the world more dangerous," he said.
Senator Kerry says it is President Bush who has made America less secure by invading Iraq without a big enough coalition⁵ to share the costs. The Democratic candidate says he would broaden that alliance with an international summit on Iraq.
President Bush says Senator Kerry has insulted the allies America has in Iraq and would allow countries like France to veto the use of U.S. troops.
"Instead, the senator would have America bend over backwards⁶ to satisfy a handful of governments with agendas different from our own," he said. "This is my opponent's alliance-building strategy: brush-off your best friend, fawn⁷ over your critics. That is no way to gain the respect of the world."
Senator Kerry had no public events Wednesday. Democratic Senator Joe Biden spoke⁸ for the campaign in a conference call with reporters. He defended Senator Kerry's remarks about a so-called global test for pre-emptive war where the president would prove to the world that military action was done for legitimate⁹ reasons.
"[Senator] Kerry is making a simple, straight-forward factual statement," he said. "We reserve the right to act no matter what the rest of the world thinks, but to the degree to which we can explain in legitimate terms, like Kennedy did in the Cuban missile crisis, like we did in Afghanistan, is the degree to which we get the rest of the world in there helping¹⁰ us and other people getting shot with us."
Senator Kerry and President Bush face off in their second debate this coming Friday in the Midwest city of St. Louis.
Scott Stearns , VOA News, at White House.
注释：
debate 辩论
strategy 战略，策略
retreat 撤退
allegation 断言
flip-flopper 前后不一的人
propose 计划
doctrine 教条，学说
coalition 联合， 联盟
summit 最高阶层
agenda 议程
legitimate 合法的, 合理的
Cuban 古巴的

1 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

2 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 doctrines   

n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明

参考例句：

• To modern eyes, such doctrines appear harsh, even cruel. 从现代的角度看，这样的教义显得苛刻，甚至残酷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

7 fawn   

n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承

参考例句：

• A fawn behind the tree looked at us curiously.树后面一只小鹿好奇地看着我们。
• He said you fawn on the manager in order to get a promotion.他说你为了获得提拔，拍经理的马屁。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。