2006年VOA标准英语-Civilians, Soldiers and the Central Intell

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
12 May 2006
 
watch CIA Nomination¹ report
 

President Bush listens to Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, left, speak at White House   
  
President Bush's nomination of a four-star Air Force general to head the Central Intelligence Agency has sparked bipartisan concern in Congress about military control of this civilian² agency.  As VOA's Peter Fedynsky reports, the controversy³ involves conflicting views of securing American liberty.

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Few people dispute General Michael Hayden's credentials⁴ as an intelligence expert.  He has more than 20 years of experience, including six as director of the National Security Agency, which specializes in technical espionage⁵ under military guidance.  The CIA is a civilian agency primarily involved in human intelligence.  While it has had several military directors, critic’s say now is not the time for another one.  

Peter Hoekstra  
  
Congressman⁶ Pete Hoekstra is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. "There's been a lot of tension between the CIA,[and] the Defense⁷ Department, and I think putting a career military person now in charge of the CIA is sending the signal that says DoD has won on this -- intelligence is a Department of Defense operation.

The CIA is designed to inform the nation's civilian leaders, while defense intelligence agencies primarily serve the military.  

Christopher Preble   
  
According to Christopher Preble, civil-military affairs expert at the Cato Institute think tank in Washington, DC, the various agencies are not subject to the same controls. "I think there is some concern that there is greater and greater intelligence activity being conducted that is perhaps not subject to the same kind of Congressional oversight⁸ that we have subjected the CIA to for some time."

Preble says tensions between America's civilian and military spheres are traditionally mild, but have existed since the country's founding more than two centuries ago.  He says those tensions stem from the conflicting demands of liberty and security, especially in time of war.

Currently, the United States is engaged in the War Against Terror.  Part of that struggle is a controversial Bush administration program to conduct domestic surveillance of suspected terrorists without a court order.  Critics say warrantless searches violate the Constitution. 

However, General Hayden has defended the program, which Cato's Christopher Preble says is one of the reasons he is facing opposition⁹ in Congress. "Clearly, it was something that he was very, very actively¹⁰ involved with, it appears, from the inception¹¹; what little we know about the program, he was involved from the very beginning.  So it may be that the objections are mainly about him and not so much about a military person."

The New York Times newspaper uncovered the domestic surveillance program in December.

Stephen Hess  
  
Stephen Hess, a historian at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, DC, says the controversy would have been defused had President Bush asked Congress to amend¹² the surveillance law. "Had he done that, I'm sure the Congress -- who also feels that we're at war -- would have given him the right.  So it looks like a power grab that I think a lot of people in the United States at the moment feel was really quite unnecessary."

If the Senate approves General Hayden's CIA nomination, he would report to the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, a civilian.  Negroponte supports the general, who served as his deputy, and calls the domestic surveillance program a necessary tool against terror.

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 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 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。

4 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

5 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 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。

8 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

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 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

11 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

12 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。