副总统拜登将加入美国总统竞选吗?

Will VP Biden Enter US Presidential Fray¹? 副总统拜登将加入美国总统竞选吗?

WASHINGTON—

A big question mark remains² on the list of U.S. presidential hopefuls – will Vice³ President Joe Biden enter the race on the Democratic side, joining former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders? The answer could come any day now and put an end to weeks of speculation⁴ and intrigue⁵ in Washington and beyond.

Biden has an extensive political resume: vice president for nearly seven years after 36 years as a U.S. senator. Plain-spoken and long-winded, Joe Biden is no stranger to the campaign trail.

“We will not go back to the 50s in social policy, to the Cold War in our foreign policy, or to the policies of the last administration in our economic policy,” Biden said.

But Biden isn’t saying whether he will mount his third campaign for president. The possibility seemed remote months ago after the death of his son, Beau, and as Hillary Clinton dominated the Democratic field. But with Clinton now mired⁶ in controversy⁷ over her use of a private email account as secretary of state, and with Senator Sanders drawing enthusiastic crowds, some political observers see an opening for Biden should Clinton stumble further.

President Barack Obama is staying neutral.

“What I would say is that both Joe and Hillary are wonderful people, great friends. Joe’s been as good a vice president as I think we’ve seen in American history, been at my side in every tough decision I’ve made,” said Obama. "Hillary Clinton was one of our best secretaries of state.”

And Clinton is choosing her words carefully, too. “I just want him to reach whatever he thinks the right decision is,” she said.

But some Republican presidential contenders are weighing in.

“I think he (Biden) sees a vulnerability in Secretary Clinton," said senator Lindsey Graham. 'So I don’t know what Joe’s going to do, but if he’s ever wanted to run, now’s his best chance.”

Most presidential aspirants⁸ of both parties laid the groundwork for their bids a year or more ago and have already spent months on the campaign trial. Should Biden run, he would have to play catch-up in forming – and financing – a campaign.

1 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

2 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。

3 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。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

6 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 aspirants   

n.有志向或渴望获得…的人( aspirant的名词复数 )v.渴望的，有抱负的，追求名誉或地位的( aspirant的第三人称单数 )；有志向或渴望获得…的人

参考例句：

• aspirants to the title of world champion 有志夺取世界冠军的人
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out. 考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》