VOA常速英语2008年-US Election Campaign Refocuses on Iraq

By Jim Malone
Washington
28 February 2008

The war in Iraq has reemerged as a central issue in the U.S. presidential election campaign. In recent days, Republican contender John McCain and Democratic candidate Barack Obama have exchanged verbal salvos over Iraq. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone has a report from Washington.

Public opinion polls indicate the weakening U.S. economy has jumped ahead of Iraq as the top election issue.

But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee¹, Senator John McCain of Arizona, is doing all he can to remind voters about the stakes in Iraq.

McCain seized on remarks made this week by Democratic contender Barack Obama in his debate in Cleveland with rival Hillary Clinton.

Obama said while he favors a phased withdrawal² of U.S. troops from Iraq, he would quickly send them back if al-Qaida re-emerged as a threat.

"If al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad," he said.

That statement brought a mocking response from McCain, campaigning in Texas.

 

"Al-Qaida already has a base in Iraq," he said. "It is called al-Qaida in Iraq."

Obama was quick to fire back at McCain during his own campaign swing through Texas.

"I have some news for John McCain, and that is that there was no such thing as al-Qaida in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided³ to invade Iraq," said Obama.

McCain has been a strong advocate of the Bush administration's military surge strategy in Iraq, which has resulted in a more stable security environment in recent months.

President Bush was asked about the Obama-McCain debate over Iraq at his Thursday news conference.

"I believe Senator Obama better stay focused on his campaign with Senator Clinton, neither of whom has secured their party's nomination⁴ yet," he said.

Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, has also promised to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq shortly after taking office.

But Clinton argues that her longer experience in the Senate and her tenure⁵ as First Lady during the Clinton administration give her an advantage over Obama.

"In this moment of peril⁶ and promise, we need a president who is tested and ready, who can draw on years of real-world experience working on many of the issues we now confront," she said.

The public has become somewhat more optimistic about the situation in Iraq in recent months as the surge effort has improved security.

Karlyn Bowman, who monitors U.S. public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, says Iraq could work to McCain's favor in the general election.

"Americans still believe the war was a mistake and Bush gets very negative marks on handling it," she said. "Still, and perhaps surprisingly, John McCain leads Clinton and, separately Obama, by 14 percentage points in the new Gallup poll as the candidate who can best handle the situation in Iraq. At least at this point in voter's minds, Iraq is not an albatross for McCain."

McCain said earlier this week that his prospects⁷ of winning the general election are directly tied to his ability to convince Americans that victory in Iraq is worth the cost.

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 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。

5 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

6 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。