2007年VOA标准英语-Hagel, Gingrich Consider US Presidential Bids

By Jim Malone
Washington
09 March 2007

Two more notable Republicans are considering a run for U.S. president next year. We have details from VOA National correspondent Jim Malone in Washington.

Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are well known within the Republican Party, and could have an impact on the 2008 race for the White House.

 
Senator Chuck Hagel 
Hagel is expected to announce his plans on Monday.

The Washington Times newspaper says Hagel will join the presidential race, but there is no confirmation¹ as yet from Hagel's office.

Although Hagel has a generally conservative voting record in the Senate, he has emerged as perhaps the most aggressive Republican critic of the war in Iraq.

Hagel spoke² out against the president's troop increase in Iraq, the day after Mr. Bush announced the policy change in mid-January.

"I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it is carried out," he said. "I will resist it."

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback is the only announced Republican presidential contender who has spoken out against the troop surge. The leading Republican candidates support the plan, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt³ Romney.

Washington-based political analyst⁴ Stuart Rothenberg says Hagel is a dynamic figure within the Republican Party. But Rothenberg questions whether the criticisms voiced by Hagel and Brownback will win support among Republican voters looking for a successor to President Bush in 2008.

"They are much more critical of the administration and of the way the war has developed," he said. "But it is unclear that there is a substantial anti-war element within the Republican Party at the moment."

 
Newt Gingrich, 3 March 2007 
Another prominent Republican, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, says he will wait until September to decide whether to join the presidential race.

But Gingrich appears to be reaching out to social conservatives, a signal that he may be serious about running next year.

Gingrich appeared on a radio program with James Dobson, a noted⁵ social conservative activist⁶ and head of a group called Focus on the Family.

In the interview, Gingrich admitted he was having an extramarital affair in 1998, even as he led the Republican congressional effort to impeach⁷ President Bill Clinton for lying about his affair with White House intern⁸ Monica Lewinsky.

"There were times when I was praying, and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong, but I was still doing them," he said. "And, I look back on those as periods of weakness and periods that I am not proud of."

Gingrich and former New York Mayor Giuliani have both been divorced twice, raising doubts about their ability to draw support from religious conservatives, a key constituency within the Republican Party.

Gingrich has repeatedly scored high in public opinion polls among Republican presidential hopefuls, even though he has not formally announced plans to join the race.

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 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。

3 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 impeach   

v.弹劾；检举

参考例句：

• We must impeach the judge for taking bribes.我们一定要检举法官收受贿赂。
• The committee decided to impeach the President.委员会决定弹劾总统。

8 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。