2007年VOA标准英语-Foreign Policy is Key Topic at First Republican

By Jim Malone
Washington
04 May 2007

Iraq, Iran and Hillary Clinton were major topics of discussion in the first Republican presidential candidates debate, held Thursday in California.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more on what this first debate tells us about the Republican presidential field from Washington.

As expected, all but one of the ten Republican contenders expressed support for President Bush's strategy in the war in Iraq.

But most of them also took a very tough line on the government in Iran.  Arizona Senator John McCain was one of several candidates who said the United States must be prepared to confront Iran over its potential nuclear weapons capabilities¹.

"My greatest fear is that the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon and give it to a terrorist organization and there is a real threat of them doing that," he said.

McCain has emerged as perhaps the most vocal² Republican candidate in support of the U.S. troop surge strategy in Iraq.

But McCain also noted³ during the debate that the U.S. badly mismanaged the Iraq war for four years.

That theme of criticizing the Bush administration for its handling of Iraq combined with a commitment to continue the U.S. military effort there was echoed by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain, left, and Rudy Giuliani greet each other after the first republican presidential primary debate of the 2008 election, 3 May 2007

"I think that is something we now understand was a mistake.  But rather than simply walking away and leaving the Middle East in complete disastrous⁴ chaos⁵ that will spread in the region and to the rest of the world, it is important that we finish the job and that we do it right," he said.

The only exception to the tough talk about Iraq and Iran came from Texas Congressman⁶ Ron Paul.

Paul describes himself as an old fashioned conservative Republican who opposes a powerful role for the federal government in shaping both domestic and foreign policy.

"I am suggesting very strongly that we should have a foreign policy of non-intervention," he said.

Paul and some of the other lesser-known contenders struggled to gain the spotlight⁷ as they competed with the likes of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani has led the Republican presidential field in public opinion polls for months, based largely on the leadership he demonstrated in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

But Giuliani's views on some domestic issues have already brought opposition⁸ from social conservatives, a key activist⁹ group within the Republican Party.

During the debate, Giuliani was the only one of the candidates to express support for abortion¹⁰ rights.

"In my case, I hate abortion," he said.  "I would encourage someone to not take that option.  But ultimately since it is an issue of conscience, I would respect a woman's right to make a different choice."

Giuliani's lead in the polls has dipped in recent weeks.  Pollster Peter Brown of Quinnipiac University in Connecticut says Giuliani's moderate position on social issues may be costing him support.

"There are many within the Republican Party who think the fact that Mayor Giuliani supports abortion rights, has supported gay rights and is supporting gun control makes him not the type of candidate that usually wins Republican primaries," he explained.  "And it may well be that those attacks are starting to bear some fruit."

Several political analysts¹¹ and commentators¹² who watched the debate said former Massachusetts Governor Mitt¹³ Romney may have gained the most from the forum¹⁴ because, in their view, Romney looked the most presidential of the ten contenders.

Romney is less well known than McCain and Giuliani, but he runs third among active candidates in most of the polls.  But those same surveys also indicate concern about Romney's membership in the Mormon Church, an issue he addressed during the debate.

"This is a nation, after all, that wants a leader who is a person of faith, but we do not choose our leader based on which church they go to," he said.

One issue all the Republican contenders seem to agree on was their desire to keep Democrat¹⁵ Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency¹⁶ next year.  Asked about the prospect¹⁷ of former President Bill Clinton returning to the White House if his wife won the election, the Republican candidates responded with laughter.

1 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 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。

3 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。

4 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

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 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

15 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。

16 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。

17 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。