2006年VOA标准英语-Cheney Moves to Quell Controversy Over Hun

By Jim Malone
Washington
16 February 2006

Vice¹ President Dick Cheney appeared on television Wednesday and took full responsibility for accidentally shooting a hunting companion Saturday in Texas. It was the first time Mr. Cheney spoke² publicly since the wounding of 78-year-old Harry³ Whittington. Republicans hope the vice president's interview on the Fox News channel will calm what had been a brewing⁴ political controversy⁵. 

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Dick Cheney, left, talking with Brit Hume of Fox News, Feb. 15, 2006  
  

After pressure from White House officials and Republicans in Congress to say something about his handling of the hunting accident, Vice President Cheney chose to do an interview with Brit Hume of the Fox News channel.

"Ultimately, I am the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. You cannot blame anybody else. I am the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend and I say that is something I will never forget," he said.

Mr. Cheney also defended the way in which the incident was disclosed to the news media. Ranch⁶ owner Katherine Armstrong was the one who notified a local newspaper the day after the accidental shooting, and the vice president said that was the right approach.

Mr. Cheney acknowledged that some White House aides had urged him to release information about the incident quickly to the national news media, but he decided⁷ against it.

At the White House, presidential spokesman Scott McClellan said the vice president's interview had put the controversy to rest.

"The president is very satisfied with the way this matter has been addressed. I think that at this point what we are doing is looking forward to the future, not looking back to the past," he said.

Public reaction to Mr. Cheney's interview was mixed. "I think he is very sorry and he is apologetic," said one woman. "He should have probably been more forthright⁸ right off the bat," one man said.

Opposition⁹ Democrats¹⁰ continue to question why it took Mr. Cheney so long to comment on the hunting accident.

"Open government would demand that the vice president come clean on what happened," said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives.

Some Republicans said they were relieved that Mr. Cheney took steps to put the controversy behind him.

"I do not think it is a lasting¹¹ issue. I think it is just a series of things that this administration has done that makes it look like they are not always forthcoming," said Ed Rollins, a longtime Republican political strategist.

Dick Cheney   
  
Some of those who have followed Mr. Cheney's political career say they were not surprised by how he handled the release of information to the press about the hunting incident.

"The vice president needed to come on television and humanize himself a little bit to say that it was the worst day of his life and that he really was deeply concerned," added John Nichols, the author of a biography of the vice president.  "I am not sure this is going to be enough, though. I suspect there will continue to be a lot of pressure for him to answer more questions."

Public relations and communications experts say it was wise for the vice president to comment on a story that was dominating the Washington political scene for the past few days.

"The reason that the press corps¹² in Washington is so exercised about this is, in part, the secrecy¹³ that Vice President Cheney has brought around his entire operation from day one as vice president," explained David Rubin, the dean of Syracuse University's School of Public Communications.

Political analysts¹⁴ say the issue was becoming a major distraction¹⁵ for the Bush administration and that Vice President Cheney needed to address the controversy publicly.

"I think it will go a long way to bringing this chapter to a close," said Washington-based expert Stuart Rothenberg. "I think there will be a few more days of some questions, but this story is mostly inside the beltway [of concern only to Washington political insiders]."

The shooting victim, Harry Whittington, continues to recover from his wounds and remains¹⁶ in stable condition at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.

1 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。

2 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。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。

9 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。

10 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》

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

12 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

13 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

14 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。

15 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

16 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。