2006年VOA标准英语-Veteran Democrat Senator Joseph Lieberman Defea

By Jim Malone
Washington
09 August 2006

In a major upset, veteran Senator Joseph Lieberman was narrowly defeated Tuesday by a political newcomer in the Democratic Party primary in the northeastern state of Connecticut. As VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports, Democratic opposition² to the Iraq war appears to have played a key role in Lieberman's defeat.

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Joseph Lieberman waves to supporters as he takes the stage at his election night campaign event at Goodwin Hotel in Hartford, Aug. 8, 2006  
  
Lieberman was defeated by fellow Democrat¹ and political novice³ Ned Lamont - a man most Connecticut voters had never heard of until just a few months ago.

But in conceding defeat to Lamont, Lieberman announced he would run as an independent candidate in the November election in a bid to win a fourth term in the Senate.

"If the people of Connecticut are good enough to send me back to Washington as an independent Democrat, I promise them I will keep fighting for the same progressive new ideas and for stronger national security," he said. "That is who I am."

Challenger Lamont capitalized on liberal Democratic anger over the Iraq war and made Senator Lieberman's support for the U.S. military effort the central issue in the primary contest.

Ned Lamont responds to questions during a campaign visit to polling place in Bridgeport, Aug. 8, 2006  
  
Lamont spoke⁵ to jubilant supporters after Lieberman acknowledged defeat.

"We have 132,000 of our bravest troops stuck in the middle of a bloody⁶ civil war in Iraq and I say it is high time that we bring them home to the hero's welcome," he said.

Joseph Lieberman was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 and has long been a leading moderate in the Democratic Party.

Lieberman was Al Gore's vice⁴ presidential running mate in the closely contested 2000 presidential election.

Early in the race, few experts gave Ned Lamont any chance of upsetting three-term incumbent⁷ Lieberman in the Democratic primary.

But over the past year, liberal Democrats⁸ in Connecticut and elsewhere around the country have grown increasingly angry about the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq conflict.

Lamont accused Lieberman of being a cheerleader for President Bush and appealed to Connecticut voters to send an anti-war message to the rest of the country.

Political analysts⁹ say the Lieberman defeat suggests the Iraq war will be a defining issue in this November's congressional midterm elections.

"And there is no question in the Democratic Party that the anger against President Bush and the anger about the war is really the dominant¹⁰ thing on their minds," said Lewis Wolfson, who is a political expert at the American University in Washington.

Democrats hope to win a majority in one or both houses of Congress in November for the first time since Republicans took over both the Senate and House of Representatives in 1994.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 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。

3 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

4 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。

5 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。

6 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

7 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

8 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》

9 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。

10 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。