2007年VOA标准英语-2008 US Presidential Campaign in Full Swing

By Jim Malone
Washington
18 May 2007

The 2008 U.S. presidential campaign is off to an early and intense start. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has been watching the candidates and has a report from Washington.

The next presidential election is still more than a year and half away, but contenders from both major political parties are already campaigning hard for the White House.

This comes as no surprise to Craig Crawford, a political analyst¹ for Congressional Quarterly magazine.

"It is a power vacuum and power abhors² a vacuum, so there is such a rush to fill it because of that, I believe, and also the media has been, surprising to me, most eager to cover the campaign this early. I think that also fueled it," he said.

Democrats³ believe 2008 will be the year they reclaim⁴ the White House after eight years of President Bush.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton is the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination⁵ and Clinton has made ending the war in Iraq her top priority.

"If he (President Bush) does not extricate⁶ us from Iraq before he leaves office, when I am president I will, beginning on the day when I am inaugurated," she said.

The eight declared Democratic candidates oppose the war but differ on how quickly U.S. troops should leave Iraq.

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is currently running second in public opinion polls behind Senator Clinton.

"Unless we bring our troops home and get them out of Iraq, we are not going to be able to perform the kinds of changes here in America that are required," he said.

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is running third, along with former Vice⁷ President Al Gore⁸.

Gore has repeatedly said he will not run for president.

Analyst Craig Crawford says that leaves Hillary Clinton in a strong position at the moment.

"I think the default position in this campaign says that Hillary Clinton is the next president," he said. "I am not saying that would not change, but sitting here today I would say the default position is that she has got everything in place, not only to win her nomination, but win the presidency⁹. And so I think now the campaign is going to be about testing that hypothesis."

On the Republican side, ten contenders are vying¹⁰ for their party's nomination. Nine of them support the president's Iraq policy.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to lead in the polls, largely because many Republicans see him as a strong leader on national security given his performance in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"If we are going to wave the white flag, and if we are going to give them a schedule of our retreat and force the United States into that position, well, then it seems to me you are going on defense," he said.

But Giuliani has come under fire from his Republican rivals who question his conservative credentials¹¹, especially on social issues like abortion¹², gun control and gay rights.

Larry Sabato directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

"Giuliani will get nominated if the Republican electorate¹³ decides that the election has to be about terrorism and national security," said Sabato. "If the Republican electorate starts focusing on social issues like abortion, Giuliani is cooked and done."

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

Arizona Senator John McCain trails Giuliani for the nomination. McCain has emerged as the most vocal¹⁴ supporter of President Bush's new security strategy in Iraq, even though polls show most Americans oppose the war.

McCain made his case during the recent Republican debate in South Carolina broadcast by the Fox News Channel.

"I believe the Maliki government has got to improve," he said. "It has got to pass certain laws that we all know about. But we must succeed and we cannot fail. And I will be the last man standing¹⁵ if necessary."

Two other notable Republicans, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, are considering joining the Republican field.

Analyst Craig Crawford says there may be room for a candidate that can appeal to social conservatives, a key constituency group within the Republican Party.

"I think there will be a market come late summer or early fall for some new faces, particularly on the Republican side, it seems," he said. "Republican voters are still searching."

Thompson could join the race within a matter of weeks while Gingrich says he will decide in September.

1 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。

2 abhors   

v.憎恶( abhor的第三人称单数 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰

参考例句：

• For the same reason, our party abhors the deification of an individual. 因为这样，我们党也厌弃对于个人的神化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She abhors cruelty to animals. 她憎恶虐待动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 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》

4 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

5 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

6 extricate   

v.拯救，救出；解脱

参考例句：

• How can we extricate the firm from this trouble?我们该如何承救公司脱离困境呢？
• She found it impossible to extricate herself from the relationship.她发现不可能把自己从这种关系中解脱出来。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

9 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。

10 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

11 credentials   

n.证明，资格，证明书，证件

参考例句：

• He has long credentials of diplomatic service.他的外交工作资历很深。
• Both candidates for the job have excellent credentials.此项工作的两个求职者都非常符合资格。

12 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。

13 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

14 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。

15 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。