voa标准英语2008-Obama Remains Committed to Troop Withdrawal From

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has reaffirmed his intention to withdraw American combat forces from Iraq after taking office. Mr. Obama spoke¹ as a top member of the Bush administration admitted that U.S. efforts to stabilize² Iraq after the 2003 invasion were lacking.
　

President-elect Barack Obama listens to a reporter's question during a news conference in Chicago, 26 Nov. 2008

While campaigning for the presidency³, Barack Obama's most often repeated pledge was to bring home American combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of entering the White House.

Since the election, the United States and Iraq have finalized⁴ an accord that stipulates⁵ a 2011 deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops.

Speaking on NBC television's Meet The Press program, Mr. Obama said he remains⁶ committed to ending the Iraq War, although he gave no specific dates for doing so.

"One of my first acts as president will be to bring in the Joint⁷ Chiefs of Staff, to bring in my national security team, and design a plan for a responsible drawdown," said Barack Obama. "When I began the campaign, there was a lot of controversy⁸ about the idea of starting to draw down troops. Now, we have seen this administration sign an agreement with the Iraqi government, creating a timeframe for removing U.S. troops."

The president-elect, who opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq while serving as an Illinois state senator, said he wants to act quickly but also to preserve stability in Iraq. He said there must be a mechanism⁹ for Iraq to assume more responsibility for its security without allowing a resurgence¹⁰ of terrorism in the country.

In a recent interview, President Bush said the greatest regret of his presidency was the intelligence failure that led the United States to believe that Saddam Hussein possessed¹¹ weapons of mass destruction. In the past, Mr. Bush has admitted that mistakes were made in attempting to secure the country after the Iraqi ruler's ouster.
　

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks during a joint press conference with Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Copenhagen, 5 Dec. 2008

Speaking on the Fox News Sunday television program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the structure of America's presence in Iraq was not up to the task of helping¹² to forge a democracy while maintaining security in the face of a violent insurgency¹³.

Rice was asked whether former Defense¹⁴ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who played a key role in deciding U.S. troop levels in Iraq after the invasion, bore the blame.

"Look, I take responsibility for that, too," said Condoleezza Rice. "We just did not have the right structure."

At the same time, Rice said she believes that, in the long run, the overthrow¹⁵ of Saddam Hussein will prove to be what she termed "a strategic achievement" for America. She said Iraq will be at the core of what she described as "a different kind of Middle East".

1 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。

2 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

3 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。

4 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 stipulates   

n.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的名词复数 )；规定，明确要求v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的第三人称单数 )；规定，明确要求

参考例句：

• The trade contract stipulates for the settlement of balances in RMB. 贸易合同规定余额以人民币结算。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The contract stipulates for the use of seasoned timber. 合同上订明用干透的木料。 来自辞典例句

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

10 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

11 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。