2006年VOA标准英语-Rising Star in Democrat Party Considers US Pres

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
23 October 2006

U.S. Senator Barack Obama says he may seek his Democratic Party's nomination¹ for president in 2008, reversing his previous statements that he would not do so. The first-term senator from Illinois and the Senate's only African-American has been encouraged by fellow Democrats² to run for the White House, despite his limited political experience.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama came to national prominence³ when he delivered a rousing keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, at which Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts was nominated to run for president. At the time, Obama was in Illinois state politics and a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Two years later, and barely two years into his six-year Senate term, Obama says he has begun thinking about running for president himself in 2008.

Although he has previously⁴ said he would not run in the next presidential election, he told NBC television's Meet the Press program that he could not ignore growing calls from fellow Democrats for him to consider a presidential run.

"I do not want to be coy about this," he said. "Given the responses that I have been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility. But I have not thought about it with the seriousness and depth that I think is required."

Obama says his first priority is helping⁵ other Democrats win seats in Congress in next month's midterm election. He says he will decide whether to run for the White House after the November 7 vote.

In the NBC interview, Obama played down his lack of experience in national politics.

"I am not sure anyone is ready to be president before they are president," he said.

Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, an independent research and policy organization, agrees.

 

"Experience per se is not the most important thing," he said. "The quality of one's ideas is, and the ability to project them with some seriousness, conviction, nuance⁶, sophistication."

O'Hanlon, who co-authored a book titled Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security - which offers Democrats advice on a national security agenda, says the challenge for Obama will be in laying out his vision on foreign policy.

"For me the bigger question is how does Obama want to talk about the big issues of the day, like Iran, Iraq and North Korea, not to mention the rise of China and the future of NATO and the broader war on terror," he said. "While I am very struck by his abilities, I am not sure he can quickly come up with the sense that he is given enough thought to these questions. So there is a very high bar for him to approach."

If Obama decides to run, he could face a stiff challenge from Senator Hillary Clinton, who is widely seen as an early front-runner in the contest for the party's nomination.

But Obama's opposition⁷ to the war in Iraq could provide an alternative for Democrats who have expressed concern about Clinton's support for the war.

"I suppose Obama could respond that he was against the Iraq war, and she was for it, and so he made the right call on the big issue and she made the wrong call," said Michael O'Hanlon.

The 45-year-old Obama, whose late father was from Kenya and his late mother from the U.S. state of Kansas, is currently promoting a new book called The Audacity⁸ of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming⁹ the American Dream, in which he discusses his political views.

He has been featured on the cover of a recent issue of Time magazine as a possible presidential candidate.

1 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 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。

6 nuance   

n.(意义、意见、颜色)细微差别

参考例句：

• These users will easily learn each nuance of the applications they use.这些用户会很快了解他们所使用程序的每一细微差别。
• I wish I hadn't become so conscious of every little nuance.我希望我不要变得这样去思索一切琐碎之事。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 audacity   

n.大胆，卤莽，无礼

参考例句：

• He had the audacity to ask for an increase in salary.他竟然厚着脸皮要求增加薪水。
• He had the audacity to pick pockets in broad daylight.他竟敢在光天化日之下掏包。

9 reclaiming   

v.开拓( reclaim的现在分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• People here are reclaiming land from the sea. 这儿的人们正在填海拓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• How could such a man need reclaiming? 这么一个了不起的人怎么还需要别人拯救呢？ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹