VOA标准英语2009年-Key Obama Cabinet Nominee Withdraws Amid Contro

U.S. President Barack Obama's choice for a key cabinet position has withdrawn¹, leaving a major vacancy² at the massive Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS. Tom Daschle bowed out after problems surfaced involving taxes and possible conflicts of interest. He is the third high level nominee³ to step aside, setting back efforts by Mr. Obama to get a complete team in place.
　
Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle delivers his opening remarks on Capitol Hill in Washington, 08 Jan 2009

Tom Daschle was supposed to be the president's point man on health care. Now he says he will be more of a distraction⁴ than a help.

Daschle's nomination⁵ collapsed⁶ after it was revealed he owed more than $100,000 in back taxes, which he paid with interest. At the same time, questions arose about his connections to the health care industry.

In accepting Daschle's decision, President Obama did not mention the problems that prompted the former Senate majority leader to withdraw. But when he made the nomination public in December, then President-elect Obama said that in order for his agenda to advance, Congress must believe in and respect the HHS nominee.
　
From left: Sen. Edward Kennedy, Tom Daschle, Sen. Christopher Dodd on Capitol Hill, 08 Jan 2009

"Tom brings more than just great expertise⁷ to this task," said President Obama. "He brings the respect he earned during his years of leadership in Congress."

The Daschle withdrawal⁸ was a setback⁹ for a new administration that has been promoting higher standards for government officials and tougher ethics¹⁰ rules.

Compounding the problem for the new president was the fact the Daschle announcement came only three hours after another nominee - this time for a top White House post - also withdrew, also because of tax problems.

Nancy Killefer was in line to become the government's chief performance officer - a watchdog post within the White House budget office.

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that Daschle and Killefer withdrew because they know the country is at a critical juncture¹¹.

"I think they both recognize that you can't set an example of responsibility, but accept a different standard in who serves," said Gibbs.

The latest news adds to ongoing¹² concerns about the Obama team's ability to properly vet¹³ its nominees¹⁴ and search for past actions that could hamper¹⁵ their ability to serve.

Commerce Secretary-designate Bill Richardson bowed out weeks ago when it was revealed he is being investigated by a grand jury for a possible conflict of interest.

Questions about tax matters also threatened the confirmation¹⁶ of Timothy Geithner as treasury¹⁷ secretary. He ultimately was approved by the Senate after acknowledging he committed a tax "mistake" while serving abroad.

1 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

2 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

3 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。

4 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

5 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。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 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。

9 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

10 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

11 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

13 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

14 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

15 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

16 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

17 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。