VOA标准英语2009年-US Public Split as Obama Weighs Afghan Str

By Jim Malone
Washington
09 October 2009

 
US Soldiers in Afghanistan
As the Obama administration considers its future course in Afghanistan, public opinion in the United States remains¹ split on the U.S. role there and on the question of sending additional U.S. troops. 

Two recent public opinion polls offer a complex view of how Americans see the conflict in Afghanistan.

A recent survey by USA Today and the Gallup organization found that 48 percent favor sending more troops to Afghanistan, while 45 percent oppose.

There were similar findings in a recent poll conducted by Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, says pollster Peter Brown.

"What is clear from the poll data is that Americans are very ambivalent² about what is going on in Afghanistan," said Brown. "A bare majority of Americans, 52 percent, think that the American military commitment there is the right thing to do. But a majority don't think it is going to work in terms of being able to stop terrorists there from using Afghanistan as a terrorist base to do terrorists acts against the United States."

Brown also says 55 percent in his poll trust the president to make the right decision on Afghanistan, while 81 percent have trust in military leaders to make the right recommendations on troop levels.

"Obviously there is a bit of a spread between those two figures and it suggests the possibility of some political problems for the president if he should not take the military recommendation and that difference gets to be a big issue," he said.

If the president decides to go with the higher troop levels recommended by the military, he will get support from congressional Republicans.

 
US House of Representatives Minority Leader Rep John Boehner (Ohio) (File photo)
This is the House Republican leader, Congressman³ John Boehner of Ohio.

"And clearly the goal that the president laid out back in March that we should deny al-Qaida and the Taliban safe haven⁴ in Afghanistan continues to be the goal," said Boehner. "And if that is the goal, I believe that my [Republican] colleagues on the House side will be there to support him."

But any decision to send more troops will likely spark resistance from some congressional Democrats⁵ who oppose a build-up in Afghanistan.

The Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is taking a wait and see attitude on the policy review.

 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
"The president has taken a very deliberative approach to this very difficult decision that he has to make," said Pelosi. "When we see what the president's suggestion is, what his plan is, then we will respond to that."

Pollster Peter Brown says the Afghan War has upended some typical political alliances in Washington.

"The people who are generally President Obama's supporters are the least supportive of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, mostly Democrats and self-described liberals," said Brown. "And the people who are normally the president's strongest opponents, conservatives and Republicans, are the biggest supporters of the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan."

Some experts see parallels between the Afghan strategy debate and the escalation⁶ of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

This is presidential historian and author Robert Dallek:

"Once the public turns against a war, once it is convinced that you are embarked⁷ upon if not a losing enterprise then something that is going to produce a quagmire⁸, it creates tremendous political difficulties for the president and it undermines his credibility, trust in his judgment⁹ and his ability to put across his domestic reforms," said Dallek.

Political analysts¹⁰ say Mr. Obama's decision on whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan is likely to be a turning point in his presidency¹¹.

But presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs says what is at stake goes beyond just the president.

"This not a test for one person, this is not a test for one entity," said Gibbs. "This is a test for our country to adequately address and correctly address the extremist threat that emanates¹² from Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is one the president takes seriously, and one the president is going to use his time to get right."

1 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。

2 ambivalent   

adj.含糊不定的；(态度等)矛盾的

参考例句：

• She remained ambivalent about her marriage.她对于自己的婚事仍然拿不定主意。
• Although she professed fear of the Russians,she seemed to have ambivalent feelings toward Philby himself.虽然她承认害怕俄国人，然而她似乎对菲尔比本人有一种矛盾的感情。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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》

6 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

7 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

8 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 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。

11 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。

12 emanates   

v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的第三人称单数 )；产生，表现，显示

参考例句：

• He emanates power and confidence. 他表现出力量和信心。
• He emanates sympathy. 他流露出同情。 来自辞典例句