2007年VOA标准英语-US Senate Democrats Want No Confidence Vote on

By Jim Malone
Washington
17 May 2007

Democrats¹ in the U.S. Senate are taking the extraordinary step of seeking a vote of no-confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  Gonzales is under fire for last year's dismissal of several federal prosecutors², which Democrats say was done for political reasons.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest from Washington.

Alberto Gonzales

Gonzales is under renewed pressure from Democrats and even some Republicans to resign.

Critics point to congressional testimony³ earlier this week from former Deputy Attorney General James Comey.  Comey testified about being present in a hospital room in 2004 with then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was recovering from an illness.

Comey says then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card tried to get a barely conscious Ashcroft to approve a secret domestic eavesdropping⁴ program as part of the administration's anti-terror efforts.  Ashcroft refused, citing the objections of Comey and others at the Justice Department.

Comey told senators it was the most difficult day of his professional career.

"I was very upset," he said.  "I was angry. I thought I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man."

Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California are pushing for a vote of no-confidence on Gonzales.  Schumer says Gonzales is too weakened to lead the Justice Department.

"The most dramatic and searing revelation occurred when [former] deputy attorney general Comey testified, no question," he said.  "But every day another straw is added to the camel's back."

The no-confidence vote could come as early as next week.

Several Republicans have joined with Democrats in putting new pressure on Gonzales to step down, including Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

"I believe that the Department of Justice is close to being dysfunctional now with an attorney general who is unable to perform the duties of that position," he said.

Comey told Congress that he and Ashcroft were prepared to resign in 2004 because of their objections to the domestic eavesdropping program.  President Bush ordered changes in the program to satisfy their concerns, and the program went ahead.  Comey left the Justice Department last August.

Reporters asked President Bush at a news conference on Thursday if he had ordered Gonzales and Card to go to Ashcroft's hospital room and obtain legal authorization⁵ for the wiretapping program.

"There is a lot of speculation⁶ about what happened and what did not happen," said Mr. Bush.  "I am not going to talk about it.  It is a very sensitive program.  I will tell you that the program is necessary to protect the American people, and it is still necessary because there is still an enemy that wants to do us harm."

Gonzales has been under scrutiny⁷ for months over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year.  The Washington Post reported Thursday that the administration may have considered firing as many as 26 of the 93 U.S. attorneys following President Bush's re-election in 2004.

1 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》

2 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 eavesdropping   

n. 偷听

参考例句：

• We caught him eavesdropping outside the window. 我们撞见他正在窗外偷听。
• Suddenly the kids,who had been eavesdropping,flew into the room. 突然间，一直在偷听的孩子们飞进屋来。

5 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

6 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

7 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。