2007年VOA标准英语-Army General Joins White House Staff as War Coo

By Paula Wolfson
White House
16 May 2007

A U.S. Army general is joining the White House staff as the top war policy coordinator¹.   VOA's Paula Wolfson reports the choice of Lieutenant² General Douglas Lute³ followed a lengthy⁴ search for a new manager to oversee⁵ war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Douglas Lute

The White House describes General Lute's role as that of an "action officer."   But outside the executive mansion⁶, many are already referring to him as the president's "war czar."

His job will be to make sure all government departments involved in the war effort, from the Defense⁷ Department to the Department of Agriculture, are operating in a coordinated⁸ fashion.

White House Spokesman Tony Snow says Lute will report directly to the president, and will be charged with making sure war policy is implemented⁹ efficiently¹⁰.

"How many times have people been in the field where somebody says, 'Here is a problem we have, I write notes and it never gets up to the top.' Well, part of his job is to cut through that and to make sure that people in the field are getting the kind of support and resources they need to get the job done," he said.

There are indications Lute was not the first choice for the job, and that the White House originally wanted to offer the post to a retired¹¹ military officer who is well known in Washington.

Reports indicate as many as five retired generals were approached and turned down the job. Some said they were at odds¹² with parts of the president's war strategy, and would be uncomfortable serving in the post.

In General Lute, the president opted¹³ for an active duty officer with extensive managerial experience behind the scenes.  Described by many as "low-key," Lute raised objections in private during the policy review late last year that led to the current U.S. troop surge in Iraq.

When asked about the criticism, Snow said conditions on the ground in Iraq have changed, and Lute's position has evolved to reflect that change.

"And General Lute not only supports the way forward, but he also thinks we are making progress," he added.
       
The appointment comes at a time of growing public discontent with the conduct of the war, and in the midst of a battle with the Democratic Party-controlled Congress over funding.

The choice of General Lute could create another opportunity for Senate debate on the president's war strategy.

White House staff members, unlike Cabinet secretaries and other top officials in the executive branch of government, do not normally require congressional confirmation¹⁴.   However, General Lute will need Senate approval to serve because he is an active-duty officer in the military.

1 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

2 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

3 lute   

n.琵琶，鲁特琴

参考例句：

• He idly plucked the strings of the lute.他漫不经心地拨弄着鲁特琴的琴弦。
• He knows how to play the Chinese lute.他会弹琵琶。

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

6 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

7 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。

8 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

10 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

13 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

14 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。