2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Vows to Make 'Every Necessary Change' in I

By Michael Bowman
White House
21 October 2006

President Bush says U.S. tactics in Iraq are constantly evolving, but the goal of defeating terrorists and insurgents¹ remains² the same. For a second consecutive³ day, the president discussed strategies in Iraq with US military commanders.

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Vice4 President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House " src="/upimg/allimg/070505/0837210.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> President George W. Bush (left) speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House

Mr. Bush says recent weeks have been "rough" for U.S. forces in Iraq, amid a spike⁵ in sectarian violence in the country. But, in his weekly radio address, the president said retreat is not an option.

"Our goal in Iraq is clear and unchanging:  Our goal is victory," he said.  "What is changing are the tactics we use to achieve that goal.  Our commanders on the ground are constantly adjusting their approach to stay ahead of the enemy, particularly in Baghdad."

Earlier, President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Defense⁶ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld discussed Iraq strategy with the commanders of U.S. military forces in the Middle East and Iraq.  The chairman of the Joint⁷ Chiefs of Staff, also took part. Administration officials say such meetings are held weekly and do not signify any shift in U.S. policy to Iraq is imminent⁸.

The administration's emphasis on operational flexibility⁹ comes amid the deadliest month for U.S. troops serving in Iraq to date. At least 75 U.S. military deaths have been reported in the country since the beginning of October.  U.S. commanders have conceded that renewed attempts to quell¹⁰ sectarian bloodletting in Baghdad are proving unsuccessful. A U.S. general recently described the situation as "disheartening."

In his radio address, President Bush attributed the spike in violence to US and Iraqi security operations, as well as efforts by terrorists and insurgents to influence U.S. public opinion and undermine domestic support for the effort in Iraq.

In the Democratic Party's weekly radio address, a candidate in next month's congressional elections from Connecticut said the United States needs a "new direction in Iraq" that includes establishing clear goals for Iraq's government and security forces that will pave the way for an eventual¹¹ withdrawal¹² of U.S. troops.

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

9 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

10 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

11 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

12 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。