VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Meets With Lawmakers On Afghanistan

By Kent Klein
Washington
06 October 2009

 
Senator Harry¹ Reid speaks at White House after meeting President Obama on Afghanistan, 6 Oct 2009
The top Democrat² in the U.S. Senate says lawmakers in both parties will support whatever decision President Barack Obama makes about the war in Afghanistan. The comments followed a meeting Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress held with the president on Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the bipartisan group assured President Obama that he will have their backing. "Everyone, Democrats³ and Republicans, said 'Whatever decision you make, we will support it,'" he said.

The top Senate Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says, however, the support will not be automatic.

"I think Republicans will be able to make the decision for themselves," he said.

But McConnell says many opposition⁴ Republicans will support whatever the president decides, if his plan is supported by U.S. military commanders in the region.

"I hope that at the end of the day, the president will follow the advice of some of our finest generals, who, we believe, know what it would take to stabilize⁵ the situation in Afghanistan, prevent the comeback of the Taliban and, obviously, prevent a haven⁶ for al-Qaida," he said.

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Army General Stanley McChrystal, is asking the president to dramatically increase the number of forces there.

While many Republicans support a troop surge, many Democrats oppose it. That could cause political problems for Mr. Obama, according to Andrew Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University. "The politics of the situation is very complicated, I think and is going to make things that much more difficult for the president to sort out," he said.

Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said politics will not be the basis for Mr. Obama's eventual⁷ decision. "The president is not making his decision based on politics, but instead on what is best for this country," he said,.

After the White House meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters several issues need to be addressed before the president makes his decision on how to proceed in Afghanistan. "Certainly the security issue, the governance issue, the reconstruction⁸, or as some say, the construction, because there was nothing there before, in Afghanistan, and the diplomacy⁹ in the region," she said,.

And Republican Senator John McCain says defeating the Taliban rebels is essential to the goal of eliminating the al-Qaida terrorist network. "We all know that if the Taliban come back, the al-Qaida will come back. And they will come back to Afghanistan, and they will come back in Pakistan, where they already are," he said.

On Wednesday, the president will hold the third of five scheduled meetings on Afghanistan with his top military, diplomatic and intelligence officials. Gibbs says this meeting will focus mostly on Pakistan.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 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》

4 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。

5 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。

6 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

7 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

8 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

9 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。