2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Defends Iraq War Strategy

By Scott Stearns
White House
14 July 2007

President Bush talks to reporters during press conference, 12 Jul 2007

President Bush says it is too soon to judge the success of his decision to send more troops to Iraq. VOA White House correspondent Scott Stearns reports, opposition¹ Democrats² say it is time to start bringing those troops home.

President Bush used his weekly radio address to defend the recent administration report on mixed progress in Iraq, saying his strategy for success is built on the premise³ that greater security will pave the way for political reconciliation⁴.

"This report shows that conditions can change, progress can be made, and the fight in Iraq can be won," he said.

The president says 30,000 additional U.S. troops deserve the chance to show that they can help restore security and aid Iraq's government in protecting its own people.

When he launched this new strategy in January, President Bush said it would be different from earlier efforts because more Iraqi troops would join the fight and the government there would stop interfering⁵ in how those troops are used.

But the interim⁶ report to Congress says since January, fewer Iraqi units can operate independently of U.S. troops. It also gives the Baghdad government unsatisfactory marks for failing to prepare for local elections that could reconcile Iraq's Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish factions⁷.

Two senior senators from Mr. Bush's own Republican Party are pressing the president to begin planning for the redeployment of U.S. troops. Their proposal is a further sign of falling support for the war among Republicans, but is less than opposition Democrats are demanding. They are seeking a timetable for withdrawal⁸ that would have all U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by next April.

A public opinion poll by Newsweek magazine last week says 68 percent of Americans disapprove⁹ of how the president is handling the war.

In the Democratic radio address, former infantryman Brandon Friedman says nearly 600 Americans have been killed since the president announced his new strategy in January, yet there has been little improvement in the situation there.

"It is past time for the transition to diplomatic efforts in Iraq that Democrats have long demanded," said Friedman. "The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide, as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin¹⁰ Laden¹¹ is still on the loose and al-Qaida has been able to rebuild. We need an effective, offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad, and the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the civil war in Iraq."

President Bush says he wants to get U.S. troops out of Iraq as well, but only when conditions on the ground are right.

"To begin to bring troops home before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for our country," he said. "It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al-Qaida, risking a humanitarian¹² catastrophe¹³, and allowing the terrorists to establish a safe haven¹⁴ in Iraq and gain control of vast oil resources they could use to fund new attacks on America."

Mr. Bush continues to link the war in Iraq with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He says he will veto any legislation that seeks to bring U.S. troops home before commanders say they have won.

1 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。

2 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》

3 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

8 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

9 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

10 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

11 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

14 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。