2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Preparing for Key Iraq Report

By Scott Stearns
White House
23 August 2007

President Bush is calling on Americans to have patience with the war in Iraq as he works to restore public support by focusing on the the conflict's broader context in history rather than the daily reporting of casualties. As VOA's Scott Stearns reports, the Bush administration's effort comes ahead of a critical report to Congress that is expected to trigger renewed debate about when U.S. troops should withdraw from Iraq.

Counselor¹ to the president Ed Gillespie says the White House is providing context for the debate that will follow the release of the September 15 report to Congress on the progress of the war.

President Bush is anchoring that campaign with two key speeches to military veterans. The first was Wednesday's address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in which he compared the war in Iraq to past U.S. military intervention² in Asia.

The second will be the president's appearance Tuesday before the American Legion. Gillespie says Mr. Bush will use that speech to put the war in Iraq in the regional context of the Middle East and link security at home with the defeat of extremists abroad.

President George W. Bush speaks to Veterans of Foreign Wars, 22 Aug 2007

In his speech Wednesday, the president again called for patience in Iraq.

"Prevailing³ in this struggle is essential to our future as a nation," he said. "And the question now that comes before us is this: Will today's generation of Americans resist the allure⁴ of retreat, and will we do in the Middle East what the veterans in this room did in Asia?"

Next month's report is to assess the impact of the president's decision to send more troops to Iraq, and he is expected to use its findings to counter opposition⁵ calls for a timetable to bring the troops home.

The president's report is expected to include some military successes. That is already further dividing opposition Democrats⁶ between those who want troops to start coming home now and those who see some progress on the ground.

The party's leading presidential contender, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, also spoke⁷ this week to the veterans group.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (file photo)

"We've begun to change tactics in Iraq, and in some areas, particularly in al-Anbar province, it is working," she said. "We are just years too late changing our tactics. We can't ever let that happen again. We can't be fighting the last war. We have to be preparing to fight the new war. And this new war requires different tactics and strategies."

In his remarks to the veterans' group, President Bush made clear he will use military progress in Iraq to challenge political opponents.

"Our troops are seeing the progress that is being made on the ground," he noted⁸. "And as they take the initiative from the enemy, they have a question: Will their elected leaders in Washington pull the rug out from under them, just as they're gaining momentum⁹ and changing the dynamic on the ground in Iraq?"

Before sending its Iraq report to Congress, the White House public outreach campaign will include appearances by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense¹⁰ Secretary Robert Gates, and the main contributors to the report - U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

1 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

2 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

3 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

4 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

5 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。

6 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》

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 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。

9 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

10 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。