VOA常速英语2008年-Obama, McCain Sweep to Victory in Latest Presid

By Jim Malone
Washington
20 February 2008

In the U.S. presidential race, Barack Obama has now won 10 straight contests in his battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination¹.  Meanwhile, John McCain moved another step closer to clinching² the Republican nomination with two victories on Tuesday.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Senator Obama's momentum³ in the Democratic race seems to be growing after convincing victories in Wisconsin and Hawaii.

Obama has now defeated Senator Clinton in 10 straight nominating contests over the past two weeks, setting up what could be a decisive showdown in Texas and Ohio on March 4.

Obama continues to emphasize his role as an agent of change as he campaigns in Texas.

"The problem that we face in America today is not the lack of ideas.  It is that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die," he said.

Obama has widened his lead in the delegate count and has established himself as the frontrunner for the Democratic Party nomination.

Hillary Clinton now faces the daunting⁴ prospect⁵ of trying to stop Obama's momentum in Texas and Ohio in two weeks.

Campaigning in Ohio, Clinton cast herself as more experienced than Obama and ready to assume the presidency⁶ on day one.

"One of us is ready to be commander in chief in a dangerous world.  We cannot just have speeches," she said.  "We have got to have solutions."

Some warning signs for Clinton emerged in the Wisconsin vote.  Obama overwhelmingly won men voters and nearly drew even with Clinton in the support of women voters, usually her strength.

Obama also did better among working class voters and continued to draw strong support from independent voters.  Independents are allowed to vote in both the Texas and Ohio primaries.

Anthony Salvanto manages voter surveys for CBS News.

"In Wisconsin, the economy was foremost on voters' minds, and Obama won with those who picked it as the number one issue," he said.  "The economy has been at the top of voters' minds in many primaries this season, and could be again in Ohio.  That could be where the battle is won and lost."

In the Republican race, Senator John McCain of Arizona moved closer to clinching his party's nomination with victories in Wisconsin and Washington state.

McCain is already turning his sights on Senator Obama as his likely Democratic opponent in the general election.

"I am not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced," he said.  "I will fight every moment of every day in this campaign to make sure Americans are not deceived by an eloquent⁷, but empty call for change."

But McCain first has to dispatch former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who remains⁸ in the race despite a string of disappointing finishes in the recent primaries and caucuses⁹.

Huckabee is vowing¹⁰ to fight on.

"To Texas we go, and Texas is a state where independence matters a lot," he explained.  "People there do not like to be told what to do, how to think or how to vote."

McCain did better among conservative voters in Wisconsin, suggesting he may be making inroads in quelling¹¹ discontent on the right about his candidacy.

McCain is well on his way to securing the 1,191 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination and might be in a position to do that in the March 4 primaries in Texas and Ohio.

1 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。

2 clinching   

v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的现在分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）

参考例句：

• Joe gets clinching evidence of the brains role when he dreams. 乔做梦时得到了大脑发生作用的决定性依据。 来自辞典例句
• Clinching, wrestling, pushing, or seizing, without attempting a throw or other technique. 抱，扭摔，推或抓而没有摔或其它的技术。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

5 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

6 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。

7 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

8 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。

9 caucuses   

n.（政党决定政策或推举竞选人的）核心成员( caucus的名词复数 )；决策干部；决策委员会；秘密会议

参考例句：

• Republican caucuses will happen in about 410 towns across Maine. 共和党团会议选举将在缅因州的约410个城镇进行。 来自互联网

10 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

11 quelling   

v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Quelling her grief, she said 'Good-bye! 'again and went on. 她把悲痛压下去，二番说了一声再见，又转身走去了。 来自辞典例句
• The police succeeded in quelling the riot. 警方把暴乱镇压了下去。 来自辞典例句