2007年VOA标准英语-Republican Defections Fuel US Iraq Debate

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
28 June 2007

In recent days, two prominent senators from President Bush's Republican Party have made strong statements opposing his new Iraq strategy and calling for a change, well before the first official assessment¹ of the strategy is due in September. The strategy involves increasing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to help train Iraqi forces and provide security so the government can move toward national reconciliation². The senators' moves have added fuel to the already considerable debate over the future course of U.S. policy toward Iraq, and raise questions about whether the president's new approach is politically viable³ beyond September. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin reports.

Senator Richard Lugar is questioned by reporters regarding Iraq on Capitol Hill, 26 Jun 2007

The latest storm over the president's Iraq policy started Monday evening, with a speech by Senator Richard Lugar, a prominent Republican and the party's senior member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

 

"In my judgment⁴, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh⁵ the potential benefits that might be achieved," he said. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term."

Senator Lugar called for a reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, and a new diplomatic strategy for stabilizing⁶ the region. He said the president's policy has lost touch with vital U.S. national security interests.

On Tuesday, another Republican Senator, George Voinovich, released a letter he sent to President Bush calling on the president to begin planning for the redeployment of U.S. forces and a transition to a situation in which "the Iraqi government and its neighbors play a larger role in stabilizing Iraq."

Previously⁷, three other Republican senators announced their opposition⁸ to the surge policy. It is not clear how these Republicans would vote on specific proposals regarding Iraq, but their statements give hope to Democrats⁹ leading the opposition to the war, that they might be able to get enough votes in the coming months to force a policy change.

The moves by Senators Lugar and Voinovich were hailed by anti-war and anti-surge activists¹⁰, including Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress.

"The historic speech by Senator Lugar in many ways has rendered the September deadline invalid¹¹ and irrelevant," said Katulis. "It's a serious speech, and I think it represents a growing number of voices finally catching¹² up with the grim realities in Iraq."

Katulis' group and others are planning to spend the next two months trying to convince members of congress to force the start of the withdrawal¹³ of most U.S. troops from Iraq by September.

That is when the new U.S. Iraq commander General David Petraeus and the new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are to deliver a formal report on the results of the troop surge and the strategy change President Bush announced in January.

But some senior military officers and civilian¹⁴ officials have already said General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will likely say they need more time to make the strategy work. The number two U.S. commander in Iraq, Lieutenant¹⁵ General Ray Odierno, said last week it could take until next spring to create the conditions for a U.S. troop reduction that would not leave chaos¹⁶ in its wake.

President Bush, 26 June 2007

In a speech on Thursday, President Bush defended the new strategy and indicated that if more time is needed, he would provide it.

 

"It's a well-conceived plan by smart military people," he said. "And we owe them the time, and we owe them the support they need to succeed."

The president said his policy should not be judged based on al-Qaida's ability to get bomb attacks on television, because the consequences of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq too soon would be terrible.

"If we withdraw before the Iraqi government can defend itself, we would yield the future of Iraq to terrorists like al-Qaida, and we would give a green light to extremists all throughout a troubled region," the president said. "The consequences for America in the Middle East would be disastrous¹⁷."

Conservative analyst¹⁸ Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute agrees, and says the senators who oppose the new strategy do not understand its purpose.

"What would strike me as particularly tragic¹⁹ would be to have militarily seized the initiative and inflicted²⁰ great damage on not only al-Qaida but the Shia extremists in Iraq, and then for the United States to withdraw or draw down," he said. "I would just hope that success on the battlefield would not only create a different political environment in Iraq, but would create a different political environment in the United States."

But Senator Lugar indicated that is not likely. In his speech Monday, he said the administration needs to recognize that public opinion, opposition in the Congress and next year's presidential election campaign will make the president's policy increasingly difficult to pursue in the coming months.

"The prospects²¹ that the current surge strategy will succeed in the way originally envisioned by the president are very limited in the short period of time framed by our own domestic political debate," Senator Lugar said.

An appeal for more time would also not impress retired²² U.S. Army Brigadier General John Johns, a Vietnam combat commander and former dean at the National Defense²³ University, who opposes the war and believes U.S. troops cannot effectively combat an insurgency²⁴.

"The situation in Iraq today is chaos, and there is absolutely zero chance of this surge working," he said. "Petraeus and his brain trust are the best we have. But this is just 'Mission Impossible.'"

Just how much time President Bush will have to implement²⁵ his new Iraq strategy could be determined²⁶ in part by congressional votes on the defense budget for the fiscal²⁷ year that starts October 1. The man who is perhaps the most influential²⁸ Republican senator on defense issues, John Warner, is to visit Iraq next week. Analysts²⁹ say his views after that trip could be politically decisive.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

4 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。

5 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

6 stabilizing   

n.稳定化处理[退火]v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The disulfide bridges might then be viewed primarily as stabilizing components. 二硫桥可以被看作是初级的稳定因素。 来自辞典例句
• These stabilizing design changes are usually not desirable for steady-state operation. 这些增加稳定性的设计改变通常不太符合稳态工作的要求。 来自辞典例句

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 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。

9 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》

10 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

12 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

13 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。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

16 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

17 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

18 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

19 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

20 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

21 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

22 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

23 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

24 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

25 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

26 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

27 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

28 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

29 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。