2007年VOA标准英语-McCain Officially Launches Presidential Bid

By Jim Malone
Washington
25 April 2007

Republican John McCain has officially launched his 2008 campaign for president. The Arizona senator is hoping to regain¹ some of the political momentum² he has lost in recent months to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who leads the Republican presidential field in public-opinion polls. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.

John McCain and his wife Cindy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 25 Apr 2007

McCain began his second bid for the White House in the early presidential contest state of New Hampshire, the site of his primary victory over then Texas Governor George W. Bush in 2000.

McCain cast himself as the best qualified³ and most experienced candidate in the presidential field, noting his years of service in Congress and before that in the military, including nearly six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

If elected next year, the 70-year-old McCain would be the oldest first-term president. But McCain sought to turn his age into an asset as he addressed a crowd of supporters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

"My friends, we face formidable challenges," said John McCain. "I am not afraid of them. I am prepared for them. I am not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced! I know how to fight and I know how to make peace. I know who I am and what I want to do."

McCain is a strong supporter of the war in Iraq and a leading proponent⁴ of President Bush's troop surge strategy in an effort to quell⁵ sectarian violence.

McCain acknowledged that the Bush administration has made mistakes in Iraq. But the Arizona Republican also pledged to make the overall war on terror a priority if he wins the presidency⁶ next year.

"To strengthen our military, intelligence, diplomacy⁷ and law enforcement and use the power of American ideals and commerce to win the war against violent extremists and help the majority of Muslims who believe in progress and peace to win the struggle for the soul of Islam," he said.

McCain currently runs second in public opinion polls among Republican candidates, behind former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani has also been campaigning in New Hampshire and told a Republican audience that a Democratic president would go on defense⁸ in fighting the war on terror, while a Republican president would remain on offense⁹.

"We are going to win that war whether there is a Republican president or a Democratic president or any other president," said Rudy Giuliani. "The question is going to be, how long does it take and how many losses do we have along the way? And to do that, I believe we are going to be much better off electing a Republican president, and I think we are going to be much better off electing me, and I need your support and your help. Thank you very much."

Giuliani's comments drew a rebuke¹⁰ from two Democrats¹¹ running for president, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Obama accused Giuliani of taking what he called the politics of fear to a new low.

Senator McCain has lagged in the public opinion polls and in fundraising in recent months. Some political analysts¹² believe his vocal¹³ support for the Iraq war may be hurting his presidential hopes, even though most Republicans remain generally supportive of the U.S. effort in Iraq.

John Fortier is a political expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.

"He [McCain] is close to the president on the war strategy, which is not popular," said John Fortier. "He has really lost some of his oomph [momentum]. And Rudy Giuliani has surprisingly been high in the polls, remained high in the polls because he is not in any way a traditional Republican in terms of issues like abortion¹⁴ and gay marriage and gun control, which matter to social conservatives."

The latest polls indicate that former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹⁵ Romney are the other two top contenders in the Republican field. Thompson has yet to decide on a presidential bid, as has former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Recent surveys have suggested that many Republicans are not satisfied with the current presidential field and would welcome the entrance of both Thompson and Gingrich later this year.

1 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

2 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

3 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

4 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

5 quell   

v.压制，平息，减轻

参考例句：

• Soldiers were sent in to quell the riots.士兵们被派去平息骚乱。
• The armed force had to be called out to quell violence.不得不出动军队来镇压暴力行动。

6 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 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。

9 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

10 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

11 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》

12 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。

13 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

14 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

15 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。