2006年VOA标准英语-Rumsfeld's Tenure Marked by Accomplishment, Con

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
08 November 2006

President Bush announced Wednesday that Defense¹ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is leaving the administration. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin reports on the man and his career.

-------

Donald Rumsfeld  
  
Wednesday started like any other day at the Pentagon. Officials say Secretary Rumsfeld was in early. They report he had a regularly scheduled video teleconference with his top commander in Baghdad and other senior generals.

He did not tell them of the dramatic announcement President Bush would make just a few hours later.

"Now after a series of thoughtful conversations, Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that the timing² is right for new leadership at the Pentagon," said President Bush.

Robert Gates at the White House, Nov. 8, 2006  
  
The president said Rumsfeld will serve until his replacement³, former CIA director Robert Gates, is confirmed by the Senate.

The president implied that will not be until next year, saying Rusmfeld will become the longest-serving defense secretary in U.S. history. According to the Pentagon, that will happen on December 29, when he passes the record set by Robert McNamara, who served Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the 1960s.

Rumsfeld has served nearly six years under President Bush, and he served as defense secretary in the 1970s under President Ford⁴. He was then the youngest person ever to have the job. Now, at age 74, he is the oldest.

Rumsfeld's main initiative in his second tenure⁵ was defense transformation⁶, an effort to reorganize the U.S. military to be more effective at fighting modern wars. But the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, overshadowed that effort. Rumsfeld was popular in the immediate⁷ aftermath of September 11, and through the successful overthrow⁸ of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

President George Bush holds a news conference at White House, Nov. 8, 2006  
President Bush recalled those days on Wednesday.  
  
"Few will forget the image of Don Rumsfeld as he helped rescue workers carry the victims from the rubble⁹ of the Pentagon on September the 11th, 2001," he said.

The president credited Rumsfeld with directing the creation of what he called 'one of the most innovative¹⁰ campaigns in the history of modern warfare¹¹' to oust¹² the Taliban.

But after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Rumsfeld was sharply criticized by politicians, analysts¹³ and even former military officers. He was accused of not sending enough troops to secure Iraq early in the war, and of not anticipating or effectively fighting the insurgency¹⁴ when it emerged. He was blamed for the rising tide of U.S. and Iraqi casualties.

Rumsfeld said he relied on his generals for advice on military tactics, and that violence continues in Iraq because the insurgents¹⁵ adapt to whatever efforts the coalition¹⁶ makes.

On Wednesday, he said he felt this was a good time for what he called 'fresh' leadership at the Pentagon. He also implied that he wanted to avoid even more criticism in the remaining two years of the president's term. He said there will be a 'different environment' and 'a lot of partisanship¹⁷' with the new congress at least partially¹⁸ controlled by the Democratic Party and the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.

At a White House ceremony, Rumsfeld spoke¹⁹ of a 'little understood' and 'unfamiliar²⁰' war. He was apparently²¹ referring to the broader war on terrorism.

"It is not well known," said Donald Rumsfeld. "It was not well understood. It is complex for people to comprehend."

Rumsfeld's supporters describe him as a hard-working patriot²², and cite his long hours and commitment to fight terrorism and to supporting U.S. troops.

But many Democrats²³ and some Republicans had long called for Rumsfeld's resignation or ouster. In addition to problems in Iraq, he was blamed for a variety of controversies²⁴ during his tenure, including allegations of torture and other mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and other detention²⁵ centers, most notably²⁶ the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad in 2004. Rumsfeld said he offered to resign at that time, but President Bush told him to stay on.

On Wednesday, Rumsfeld joked about the criticism with a paraphrase²⁷ of Winston Churchill.

"I have benefited greatly from criticism, and at no time have I suffered a lack thereof," he said.

Rumsfeld also has a reputation as sometimes abrasive²⁸ and impatient, often giving terse²⁹ answers to questions from members of congress or reporters. He gave this answer at a news conference last month.

"I don't know. I don't know. No," he said.

Secretary Rumsfeld spoke frequently about his commitment to fighting terrorism and his respect for U.S. troops. He showed a bit of emotion speaking of the troops at Wednesday's White House ceremony.

"Their patriotism³⁰, their professionalism, their dedication³¹ is truly an inspiration," noted³² Donald Rumsfeld. "They have my respect. They will remain in my prayers always. Thank you."

During his government career, Donald Rumsfeld also chaired two presidential commissions, and as a young man in the 1960s he was elected a member of congress four times. In between his two stints³³ as defense secretary, he held top jobs at two large corporations, where he earned a reputation as a tough manger who got things done and made a profit.

Officials could not say what Rumsfeld might do after he leaves office.

1 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。

2 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

5 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

10 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

11 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

12 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

15 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

16 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。

17 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

18 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

19 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。

20 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

21 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

22 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。

23 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》

24 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

25 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

26 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

27 paraphrase   

vt.将…释义，改写；n.释义，意义

参考例句：

• You may read the prose paraphrase of this poem.你可以看一下这首诗的散文释义。
• Paraphrase the following sentences or parts of sentences using your own words.用你自己的话解释下面的句子或句子的一部分。

28 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

29 terse   

adj.(说话，文笔)精炼的，简明的

参考例句：

• Her reply about the matter was terse.她对此事的答复简明扼要。
• The president issued a terse statement denying the charges.总统发表了一份简短的声明，否认那些指控。

30 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

31 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

32 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

33 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网