VOA标准英语2008年-Obama Picks Biden as VP Candidate

Likely Democratic presidential nominee¹ Barack Obama has chosen longtime Senator Joe Biden as his vice²-presidential running mate. VOA's Kent Klein reports from Washington.
　
Sen. Joe Biden listens to testimony³ during Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington (2006 file photo)

Joe Biden is chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and has represented the small Eastern state of Delaware in the U.S. Senate for 36 years. The inclusion of the 65-year-old Biden on the ticket could help fight Republican arguments that Obama lacks experience in foreign policy.

The Obama campaign announced the decision early Saturday morning in a text message to supporters, after word had leaked out. A day earlier, Obama spoke⁵ on CBS television's The Early Show about the qualities he wanted in a running mate.

"Obviously, the most important question is, is this person prepared to be president? The second most important question from my perspective is, can this person govern?" he said.

Obama also said he wanted a vice president who will be independent.

"I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a 'yes person' when it comes to policy," he said.
　
Senator Barack Obama speaking at John Tyler Community College in Chester, Virginia, 21 Aug 2008

Obama, at age 47, is a relative newcomer to national politics, with less than four years in the Senate. His Republican opponent, veteran Arizona Senator John McCain, has argued that Obama lacks experience in foreign policy and national security matters.

Biden has led the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, and is a vocal⁶ critic of the Bush administration's foreign policy. He voted in 2002 to authorize⁷ the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, but later became a critic of the war.

The Delaware Senator is a Roman Catholic and son of a car salesman who could help attract working-class votes, a weak area for Obama.

Biden ran for president twice, in 1988, and this year, both times dropping out early in the campaign.

By choosing Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates, including former first lady Hillary Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic presidential nomination⁸. Other finalists included Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh and Texas Congressman⁹ Chet Edwards.

Obama and Biden are scheduled to make their first joint¹⁰ appearance Saturday, at 1900 UTC, at a rally in Obama's home state of Illinois. They will be formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention, which opens Monday in Denver, Colorado. Obama will give his acceptance speech next Thursday, before an expected crowd of 75,000 at a football stadium.

Republican Party officials say McCain has not decided¹¹ on a running mate. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt⁴ Romney and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty are said to be under serious consideration.

The Republican convention begins September 1 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

 

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 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

4 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 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。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

8 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。

9 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

10 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。

11 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。