voa标准英语2008-Obama Assembling Centrist Team

President-elect Barack Obama was elected last month largely on the promise of bringing change after eight years of the Bush administration. But, some of Mr. Obama's liberal supporters are disappointed that his emerging cabinet has a decidedly centrist outlook.
　

President-elect Barack Obama waves after giving his acceptance speech at Grant Park in Chicago, 4 Nov. 2008

In the afterglow of his election victory on November 4, President-elect Obama promised that a new era of change had begun.

"Because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America," he said.

Mr. Obama's early opposition¹ to the war in Iraq was a major selling point with liberal Democrats² as he sought the party's presidential nomination³ this year.

So it was a surprise to some of them when Mr. Obama chose to retain President Bush's Secretary of Defense⁴, Robert Gates.
　

Hillary Clinton listens as President-elect Barack Obama introduces her as his choice for secretary of state during a press conference in Chicago, 01 Dec 2008

Also surprising to some of his supporters was his choice of rival Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state. Clinton had criticized several of Mr. Obama's proposals on foreign policy during the campaign, especially his pledge to talk to U.S. adversaries⁵.

Mr. Obama says he is putting together the incoming administration by choosing people who are competent and efficient, regardless of party affiliation⁶ or ideology⁷.

"Wisdom is not the monopoly of any one party," he said. "In order for us to be effective, given the scope and the scale of the challenges that we face, Republicans and Democrats are going to have to work together. And I think what the American people want more than anything is just common sense, smart government. They don't want ideology, they don't want bickering⁸, they don't want sniping. They want action and effectiveness."

Mr. Obama may be disappointing some liberal activists⁹ who were expecting a major focus on change, but he is getting kudos¹⁰ from political analysts¹¹.

"He wants to be a successful president, and in order to do that, you have to be realistic about what you can accomplish given the conditions that prevail at the moment," said Larry Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "I think Obama has been very realistic in his choice of cabinet officers. They will be responsive to his agenda. He is not signing on to their agenda. They are signing on to his agenda."

Mr. Obama will take office on January 20 with an expanded Democratic majority in Congress. But many of the new Democrats in Congress come from congressional districts that previously¹² supported President Bush, a fact that could make a difference in their outlook.

"The challenge may be that the Democrats in the House of Representatives particularly are a broad range, from very liberal to quite moderate," said James Pfiffner, a professor of public policy at George Mason University in Virginia. "The moderate Republicans, some of them were defeated in the last election. And the people who bumped them off were moderate Democrats, so it is going to be hard for the leadership to bring that broad coalition¹³ together."
　

Sen. John McCain (file)

During the presidential campaign, Republican John McCain criticized Mr. Obama as one of the most liberal members of the Senate. But exit polls on Election Day showed that Mr. Obama won in part because he did better with independent and moderate voters than Senator McCain.

Experts believe that support from the middle of the political spectrum¹⁴ will act as a check on Mr. Obama if he tries to pursue policies that are viewed as too liberal by centrist voters.

At the same time, Mr. Obama faces the challenge of dealing¹⁵ with disappointed liberal supporters who expect a major shift in policy both at home and abroad.

"They are disappointed. But on the other hand, they have their champion in office and their opportunity to shape the debate within the administration," said Bruce Buchanan, a presidential scholar at the University of Texas. "It is not a fabrication to say that any large coalition like a political party has to be a big tent. There is no question about it. So I think it will work and that Obama is well positioned to assuage¹⁶ those concerns, but assuage them he will have to do."

For the moment, most Americans seem to approve of the way the president-elect is putting together his incoming administration.

A recent USA Today-Gallup Poll found that 78 percent of those surveyed approve of Mr. Obama's transition. That compares with 65 percent who approved of President-elect Bush's transition in 2000 and 67 percent who favored President-elect Clinton's transition in 1992.

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 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。

4 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。

5 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

6 affiliation   

n.联系，联合

参考例句：

• There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似，但我们之间并没有关系。
• The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。

7 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

8 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 kudos   

n.荣誉，名声

参考例句：

• He received kudos from everyone on his performance.他的表演受到大家的称赞。
• It will acquire no kudos for translating its inner doubts into hesitation.如果由于内心疑虑不安而在行动上举棋不定，是得不到荣誉的。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 assuage   

v.缓和，减轻，镇定

参考例句：

• The medicine is used to assuage pain.这种药用来止痛。
• Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.你带来的这些振奋人心的消息一定能减轻她的痛苦。