2006年VOA标准英语-Experts: Iraq Likely to Become Major US Electio

By Jim Malone
Washington
11 July 2006

Opposition¹ Democrats² hope to seize control of one or both chambers³ of the U.S. Congress in the November mid-term elections, in large part because of voter dismay over the situation in Iraq. In the first of a two-part series, VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has more on how Iraq could impact this year's U.S. congressional elections.

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Republicans have controlled both the Senate and House of Representatives since 1994. But with opinion polls indicating low public approval for both the president and the Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats see the 2006 elections as their best opportunity in years to retake one or both houses of Congress.

Harry⁴ Reid   
  
Democrats are eager to highlight the public's dissatisfaction with the situation in Iraq, even as they acknowledge their own party's divisions over how long U.S. troops should stay there. "Where is the plan? Where is the president's plan to get us out of Iraq? He is the commander in chief. We are not," said Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate Democratic leader.

President Bush and his Republican supporters in Congress have been on the defensive⁵ over Iraq for months.

But in recent weeks, the Republicans have tried to refocus the debate on the Democrats and their lack of a unified⁶ plan for Iraq. 

 
President Bush makes remarks on the mid-session review in the East Room of the White House, July 11, 2006 
  
"Here is how you win elections. You win elections by believing something. You win elections by having a plan to protect the American people from terrorist attack," said President Bush, who spoke⁷ about the issue at a recent news conference.

Democratic political strategists like Mark Mellman see Iraq as one of several issues that could tilt⁸ the November election against the Republican Party. "I think it is fair to say that Republicans would like this to be an anti-incumbent year. The truth is, it is an anti-Republican year. But it is a distinction without much of a difference because if you look at who the incumbents⁹ are [in Congress], there are a lot more of them than there are of us," he said.

Democrats also point to high domestic fuel prices and the negative public view of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina last year.

But Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway sees the national mood as more anti-incumbent in general and not specifically anti-Republican. "The idea of nationalizing this election, whether you are nationalizing it and trying to make it a referendum against George W. Bush, whether you are trying to nationalize it about this culture of corruption¹⁰ nonsense, or you try to nationalize it according to ethics¹¹ or you are trying to nationalize according to the war in Iraq. To me, those will be failed strategies if that is all you are running on," she said.

Republicans believe a majority of the public opposes a quick military exit from Iraq and that the November congressional elections will depend more on local issues and personalities¹² than national trends.

Political analysts¹³ note that congressional midterm elections are often decided¹⁴ by which party does a better job of mobilizing their supporters to get out and vote.

University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato says the downbeat public view of the situation in Iraq could depress Republican voter turnout and act as a catalyst¹⁵ for anti-war Democrats to go to the polls. "They see Iraq as a tunnel without a light at the end of it. It is difficult to see how we are going to get out without simply leaving, and in the end it is up to the Iraqis. That seems to be the view of most Americans, that we have done our part and it is time to begin the process of leaving," he said.

Democrats need to gain 15 seats to take control of the House and six seats to gain a majority in the Senate.

1 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。

2 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》

3 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 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。

8 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

9 incumbents   

教区牧师( incumbent的名词复数 )； 教会中的任职者

参考例句：

• In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being reelected. 通常现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。
• This arangement yields a wonderful gain to incumbents. 这种安排为在职人员提供了意外的得益。

10 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

11 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

12 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

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 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。

15 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。