2006年VOA标准英语-US Senators Press Gonzales on Counter-Terrorism

By Jim Malone
Washington
18 July 2006

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced tough questions Tuesday from members of the Senate about some of the Bush administration's counter-terrorism programs. 
 

Alberto Gonzales testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, July 18, 2006  
  
Under questioning from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Gonzales said that President Bush had personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from conducting an internal probe of the administration's domestic surveillance program.

The program is run by the National Security Agency and monitors international phone calls with suspected terrorists. Previously¹, such monitoring required a warrant from a special intelligence court. But following the 2001 terrorist attacks, the president secretly authorized² the monitoring without the need to first obtain a warrant.

Disclosure of the secret program in December set off a debate over civil liberties during a time of war.

Sen. Arlen Specter questions Alberto Gonzales during hearing on Justice Department oversight³; Sen. Patrick Leahy seated at right, July 18, 2006  
  
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, pressed Attorney General Gonzales about why lawyers from the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility were blocked from looking into the program.

Specter: "Highly classified, very important, but many other lawyers in the department [of Justice] had clearance⁴ [to know about it]. Why not OPR [Office of Professional Responsibility]?"

Gonzales: "And the President of the United States makes decisions about who is ultimately given access."

Specter: "Did the president make the decision not to clear OPR?"

Gonzales: "As with all decisions that are non-operational in terms of who has access to the program, the President of the United States makes the decision."

Last week, Senator Specter struck a deal with the White House that would permit a limited court review of the surveillance program.

Attorney General Gonzales also faced questions about the recent Supreme⁵ Court decision that struck down the administration's plans to use military tribunals to try suspected terrorists being held at the U.S. Naval⁶ base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"We are going to abide⁷ by the law and conform our conduct to ensure it is consistent with the law," he said "That is the thing that is important. We are talking about respect for the rule of law and that is that you comply with the decisions of our courts."

Gonzales also urged lawmakers to work with the administration on devising procedures for the tribunals that would meet the requirements of the Supreme Court.

Opposition⁸ Democrats⁹ like Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont remain skeptical¹⁰.

"I agree with President Reagan who said, 'Trust but verify,'" he said. "This administration asks an enormous amount of trust from us. They do not give much in the way of verification."

Gonzales said it is important for the military tribunals or commissions to go ahead in order to eliminate hundreds of lawsuits¹¹ filed on behalf of Guantanamo detainees that are clogging¹² the civil court system.

The lawsuits were brought by human- and civil-rights lawyers, following a Supreme Court decision in 2004 that allowed the detainees to pursue legal challenges to their detention¹³ in U.S. courts.

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

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 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。

4 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

8 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。

9 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》

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

12 clogging   

堵塞，闭合

参考例句：

• This process suffers mainly from clogging the membrane. 这种过程的主要问题是滤膜的堵塞。
• And you know that eyewitness that's been clogging up the airwaves? 你知道那个充斥着电视广播的目击证人？

13 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。