2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Expresses Strong Support for Rumsfeld

By Scott Stearns
White House
14 April 2006

President Bush is backing his defense¹ secretary, amid mounting criticism from retired² generals calling for the secretary to resign. 

Donald Rumsfeld  
  
It has been a long week for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as six retired generals have now come forward calling for his resignation. Three of the generals commanded troops in Iraq under Rumsfeld.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya television, the defense secretary dismissed that criticism, saying he serves at the pleasure of the president.

"Obviously, if, out of thousands and thousands of admirals and generals, if every time two or three people disagreed, we changed the secretary of defense of the United States, it would be like a merry-go-round," he said.

President Bush spoke³ with Rumsfeld Friday morning, and reiterated⁴ his strong support for his leadership during what the president calls historic and challenging times for the nation.

In a written statement of support for his embattled defense secretary, Mr. Bush says he has seen first hand how Rumsfeld relies on military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how best to complete difficult missions.

The president says Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period, and he has the commander-in-chief's full support and deepest appreciation⁵.

Rumsfeld offered to resign two years ago, following the scandal over U.S. mistreatment of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. President Bush refused to accept that resignation. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan says he is not aware of any recent offer by Rumsfeld to step down.

The defense secretary still enjoys the public support of officers in uniform, and says the current top two commanders of U.S. forces in Iraq, General John Abizaid and General George Casey, are best placed to judge his leadership. Those generals, along with Chairman of the Joint⁶ Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace all say they back Rumsfeld.

Much of the retired-military criticism centers on Rumsfeld's management style, and his direction of the war in Iraq, a campaign that he initially⁷ said required far fewer troops than some uniformed officers recommended.

One month before the 2001 invasion, Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki told Congress that taking and holding Iraq could require several hundred-thousand troops. That estimate was dismissed by Pentagon officials, and General Shinseki was retired.

There are now more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, boosting patrols in Baghdad to stem sectarian violence.

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 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 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。

4 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

5 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

6 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。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。