2006年VOA标准英语-President Bush Allegedly Responsible For D

By Amy Katz
Washington, DC
10 April 2006
 
watch Intelligence Leak report

Vice¹ President Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, claims it was President Bush who authorized² the leak of sensitive intelligence information on Iraq.  Amy Katz takes a closer look at the story and what impact it may have on the Bush administration.

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Court documents recently made public contend President Bush personally authorized the disclosure of classified information on Iraq's weapons program -- to refute critics of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.    

Lewis "Scooter" Libby  
  
The papers were filed by the prosecutor³ investigating who leaked the identity of a covert⁴ CIA officer to journalists in 2003.  The documents contain grand jury testimony⁵ from Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former Chief of Staff.  Libby testified Vice President Cheney told him that President Bush had authorized the release of intelligence on Iraq's weapons program -- declassifying⁶ what was classified intelligence.  Libby was then supposed to secretly relay that information to journalists. 

The White House is not disputing the allegations, but spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters Friday, President Bush was justified⁷ in releasing the information. 

"It was in the public interest that this information be provided, because there was debate going in the public about the use of intelligence leading up to the decision to go into Iraq."

President Bush has long been highly critical of those who leak government secrets. "If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is.  And if the person has violated law, the person will be taken care of."
 
 
White House spokesman Scott McClellan
  
Despite recent developments, McClellan says President Bush still feels the same way. "The President believes the leaking of classified information is a very serious matter.  And I think that's why it is important to draw a distinction here.  Declassifying information and providing it to the public when it is in the public interest is one thing.  But leaking classified information that could compromise our national security is something that is very serious, and there is a distinction."

Experts say that since the intelligence in question was apparently⁸ declassified⁹, nothing illegal was done.  But they also say this is a major political problem for President Bush.

He apparently approved the release of the information to deal with a political problem -- a column in the New York Times newspaper by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who wrote that Iraq was not trying to acquire materials needed to make nuclear weapons, something he had been sent to Africa to investigate. 

Thomas Mann is with the Brookings Institution, a non-profit policy research organization in Washington, D.C.  "For a president who has denounced leaking, and promised to find out who in his administration did it and fire them, now to be shown to have approved selective use of classified information is to open him up to -- appropriately -- to charges of political expediency¹⁰.  It is a serious political problem for him."

In addition to the release of intelligence, the identity of then-covert CIA officer Valerie Plame was revealed.  She is Wilson's wife.

The news that the leaks can seemingly be traced back to President Bush comes at a time when his approval ratings are below 40 percent -- at an all time low. 

That could also be a factor in the November congressional elections according to John Fortier of the non-partisan policy research organization in Washington, D.C., The American Enterprise Institute. "It certainly could hurt him some more, but his overall numbers are certainly down, especially because of Iraq.  This is related to Iraq, so it is going to hurt him, I think.  The Republicans are also facing a mid-term election where they are likely to lose seats and maybe lose control of the part of the Congress."

Fortier says this is more controversial than other problems the President has had because, if it is true, it shows him being more concerned about the impression his policy is making on the public than with the desire to protect America.  Until now, he says, President Bush has always been able to portray¹¹ himself well when it comes to protecting the United States.

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 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

3 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

4 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

5 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

6 declassifying   

v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的现在分词 )

参考例句：

7 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

8 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。

9 declassified   

adj.解密的v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of classified documents have now been declassified. 数以千计的保密文件现在被解密了。
• The software used for Siemens S7-300 encryption logic block declassified. 此软件用于对西门子S7-300加密逻辑块解密。

10 expediency   

n.适宜；方便；合算；利己

参考例句：

• The government is torn between principle and expediency. 政府在原则与权宜之间难于抉择。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was difficult to strike the right balance between justice and expediency. 在公正与私利之间很难两全。 来自辞典例句

11 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？