2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Announces Revised Strategy for Iraq

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
11 January 2007
 
View excerpts¹ of Bush speech on Iraq (Real Media)

President Bush says mistakes have been made in Iraq, and more U.S. troops and economic aid are necessary. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he now has to sell his revised war plan to skeptical² members of Congress and a war-weary American public.

George W. Bush

The president unveiled his new Iraq strategy in a long-awaited address to the nation Wednesday night. "The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror," he said.

Mr. Bush left no doubt he believes the stakes are high, and the setbacks of the last year in Iraq must be reversed. He vowed³ to set a new course. "The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me," he said.

The president said he is starting by sending in more troops and more than one billion dollars in additional economic aid. He said more than 20,000soldiers and Marines will join the roughly 130,000 Americans already serving in Iraq. Most will go to Baghdad to fight alongside Iraqi forces. The rest will go to Anbar Province in the west, which he said has become a base of operations for al-Qaida terrorists.

Mr. Bush has been under pressure to bring American troops home. He said an increase in forces in the short run is necessary to prevent the democratically elected Iraqi government from collapse⁴ and ensure victory. "If we increase our support at this crucial moment, and help the Iraqis break the cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home," he said.

The president has tried a similar tactic⁵ before -- most recently in 2006, when he authorized⁶ a troop surge for the Baghdad area. But he stressed this time will be different. "There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents⁷. And there were too many restrictions⁸ on the troops we did have," he said.

 

Mr. Bush said his military commanders reviewed his plan, and determined⁹ it will address these mistakes and can work. He said they have been assured by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that political or sectarian interference will not be tolerated. "I have made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people -- and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people," he said.

Mr. Bush also called on Iraq's neighbors to do more to help the Maliki government. And he made clear the United States will seek out and destroy networks in Iran and Syria that back terrorists and insurgents in Iraq.

The president warned that even if his plan works perfectly¹⁰, deadly acts of violence will continue and there will be more casualties. But he said he is convinced his revised strategy will bring America and Iraq closer to success. "America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will prevail," he said.

President Bush delivered the speech at a time when opinion polls show ever-dwindling public support for the war in the United States. In a new poll conducted by the USA TODAY newspaper and the Gallup polling organization, 72 percent of those surveyed said they disapprove¹¹ of the way the president is handling the situation in Iraq.

The war was a big issue in last November's congressional elections in the United States, which resulted in Democratic Party majorities in the House and Senate. The new congressional leadership warned before the speech that an expansion of U.S. military forces in Iraq would be unacceptable.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Bush never sought input¹² from Congress during consultations¹³ on the revised Iraq strategy, and their opposition¹⁴ to an escalation¹⁵ of the war was ignored. "We will give his proposal a fair hearing. And in our hearing, we will establish the ground truth of what is happening in Iraq. And then we will vote on the president's proposal," she said.

The White House will begin its campaign for legislative¹⁶ approval on Thursday, when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense¹⁷ Secretary Robert Gates testify on Capitol Hill. At the same time, President Bush will launch his drive for public support with an appearance at one of America's largest military bases -- Fort Benning, Georgia.

1 excerpts   

n.摘录，摘要( excerpt的名词复数 )；节选（音乐，电影）片段

参考例句：

• Some excerpts from a Renaissance mass are spatchcocked into Gluck's pallid Don Juan music. 一些文艺复光时期的弥撒的选节被不适当地加入到了格鲁克平淡无味的唐璜音乐中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is editing together excerpts of some of his films. 他正在将自己制作的一些电影的片断进行剪辑合成。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

6 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。

7 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

12 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

13 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。

15 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

16 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

17 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。