pbs高端访谈:中情局大卫·裴卓斯将军被爆婚外情后辞职
时间:2018-12-31 作者:英语课 分类:PBS访谈社会系列
英语课
JUDY WOODRUFF:And we turn to the very sudden resignation from the man at the top of the CIA, retired 1 Army General David Petraeus.
Ray Suarez has that story.
RAY SUAREZ:The stunning 2 news came just 14 months after Petraeus was sworn in as CIA director, his wife, Holly 3, at his side.
Today, Petraeus announced his resignation in a statement to the agency's employees, saying:
"After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment 4 by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours."
The retired four-star general said he went to the White House yesterday, met with President Obama, and asked to resign for personal reasons.
The president made no mention of the matter at his own White House event today, and Press Secretary Jay Carney declined to comment.
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JAY CARNEY, White House: The president has — believes that General Petraeus is doing and has done an excellent job. But I have no personnel announcements to make from here today.
RAY SUAREZ:Later, the president confirmed in a statement that he'd accepted the resignation.
He said:
"David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades. By any measure, he was one of the outstanding general officers of his generation."
Petraeus served more than three decades in the Army, but his rise to prominence 5 came in the post-9/11 wars.
In early 2007, he was placed in charge of all coalition 6 forces in Iraq. And in 2010, he took over as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, overseeing the push to reverse Taliban gains.
Along the way, he warned of tough going, as in this testimony 7 at a hearing in March of 2011.
DAVID PETRAEUS, CIA: The momentum 8 achieved by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2005 has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in a number of important areas. However, while the security progress achieved over the past year is significant, it is also fragile and reversible.
RAY SUAREZ:Petraeus' resignation from the CIA today leaves his deputy, Michael Morell, as acting 9 director.
For more, we turn to Greg Miller 10. He covers intelligence for The Washington Post.
And retired Army Colonel Peter Mansoor, he was executive officer for General Petraeus during the surge of forces in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. He's now a professor at OhioStateUniversity.
Greg Miller, attention, according to many news reports, is focusing on General Petraeus's biographer and the fact that the general came to the FBI's attention during an investigation 11. What can you tell us?
GREG MILLER, The Washington Post: Yes, we're hearing that too.
I want to stress that this is very early in the story. So a lot of information is—it's hard to nail down at this point.
But we're being told that, yes, this is not necessarily a case of the general, the former general stepping up, doing the right thing, and admitting to an affair, but being flushed out, being forced to admit it because of an FBI investigation into e-mail access of the director's e-mail.
RAY SUAREZ:E-mail access by the woman in question, Paula Broadwell, the author of "All In"?
GREG MILLER:Right. Right, exactly, by this—presumably by this author who had written this biography, very glowing account of the general, and spent extensive time with the general in war zones.
RAY SUAREZ:So, these kinds of stories, in another place in the government, in another position in government, would an official be able to ride this out? Is the CIA different from serving in other places in government?
GREG MILLER:Well, you know, even in this case, you have a few voices out there who think Petraeus could have ridden this out.
Sen. Feinstein, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued a statement today saying she doesn't think he needed to resign, although she understands why he did.
But you're right.
I mean, when you are the head of the CIA and you are—have access to some of the nation's most sensitive secrets, and you are caught in a situation in which you could be compromised, blackmailed 12 or somebody else might have access to some of that information, it creates layers of complexity 13 that don't exist for other government officials.
RAY SUAREZ:Professor Mansoor, the president called David Petraeus today one of the greatest flag officers of his generation. Is that a fair assessment 14?
COL. PETER MANSOOR(RET.), U.S. Army: I think it's fair to say.
He is probably the most accomplished 15 American general at least since the Korean War.
He's done a great deal for his nation. His nation has a great debt of gratitude 16 to David Petraeus for his accomplishments 17, especially turning around a war that was nearly lost in Iraq in 2007 and 2008.
RAY SUAREZ:Today, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said of Petraeus:
"Dave's decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation's most respected public servants."
Does leaving under this kind of circumstance undermine that title, one of our nation's most respected public servants?
PETER MANSOOR:I'm not so sure.
I think in the long run, his personal failings will be a blip on the record. Certainly, his public service has been exemplary. And he's done, like I said, a great deal for his nation.
He has hunted down war criminals in Bosnia. He's had three combat tours in Iraq. He took over in Afghanistan at a very difficult time, and he's lead the CIA with a fairly deft 18 hand.
So I think, in the long run, his legacy 19 will be one that Americans will remember with fondness.
RAY SUAREZ:Greg Miller, is this a tough time for the CIA to lose its chief under any circumstances, given the continuing questions about events in Benghazi?
GREG MILLER:Yes. And that has already led to a lot of speculation 20 on the timing 21 of this departure by the director.
I mean, this is coming just a couple of days after the election. There are questions about whether—you know, whether the administration knew this was coming.
White House officials insist that wasn't the case and that President Obama was stunned 22 when Petraeus came to him and made clear his intent to resign.
RAY SUAREZ:How has the CIA changed under his leadership?
GREG MILLER:Well, you know, at 14 months, he has been there less time than all but a few other directors. And so I would say a couple things.
I mean, he has presided over a significant expansion of the drone campaign in Yemen, broadening the CIA's drone program beyond Pakistan.
At the same time, he has a reputation for being cautious. Some have questioned whether he has been too reluctant to put agency operatives in conflicts like Syria.
And he has also reportedly clashed with the head of the agency's CounterterrorismCenter over Petraeus deciding to tap the brakes a bit on the drone campaign in Pakistan.
RAY SUAREZ:Professor Mansoor, you know General Petraeus personally, worked side-by-side with him. What should we know about the man to help us understand what he's going through now?
This must be a crushing thing for someone who so carefully cultivated his reputation and made such prodigious 23 use of his talents.
PETER MANSOOR:Well, there's no doubt that he understands this was an unacceptable personal failing.
It is very surprising to those of us who have known him, who have known how driven he is in his professional life, and really how upstanding he's been to this point at any rate in his personal life. He, you know, refused to drink alcohol when he had the opportunity to in Iraq, because the troops couldn't drink alcohol.
He was in every respect the paragon 24 of propriety 25, at least when I was there for the 15 months. I lived right next door in a bedroom right next door to him.
And, you know, he built his entire career on public service to the nation. He sort of envisioned himself as the modern day George C. Marshall, who after a long career in the U.S. Army became secretary of defense 26 and secretary of state.
This has got to be a severe blow to General Petraeus. And our thoughts and prayer goes out to him and his family in this time of healing, hopefully.
RAY SUAREZ:Greg Miller, finally, before we go tonight, the president expressed the hope that the agency would continue to thrive under the new acting director, Michael Morell, who has been the deputy director under General Petraeus. What you can tell about him—tell us about him?
GREG MILLER:Morell is a sharp guy. He is a professorial figure. He comes from the analytic 27 side of the agency, not the operations side. So he has risen through the ranks on the analytic side, was a briefer to presidents and is regarded as a highly polished and a highly skilled guy.
In fact, he served as interim 28 director before Petraeus took the job, because Petraeus, it took several months between the transition from Panetta to Petraeus. So, Morell has done the job for a while previously 29.
RAY SUAREZ:Gentlemen, Greg Miller from The Washington Post, Professor Mansoor, thank you both for joining us.
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
- 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。
adj.极好的;使人晕倒的
- His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
- The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。
n.[植]冬青属灌木
- I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
- People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
- 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。
n.突出;显著;杰出;重要
- He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
- This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
- The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
- Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
n.证词;见证,证明
- The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
- He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
n.动力,冲力,势头;动量
- We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
- The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
- Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
- During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
n.磨坊主
- Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
- The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
n.调查,调查研究
- In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
- He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
胁迫,尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 )
- He was blackmailed by an enemy agent (into passing on state secrets). 敌特威胁他(要他交出国家机密)。
- The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. 罢工者拒绝了要挟复工的条件。
n.复杂(性),复杂的事物
- Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
- The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。
n.评价;评估;对财产的估价,被估定的金额
- 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?
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
- Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
- Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
adj.感激,感谢
- I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
- She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
- It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
- Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
adj.灵巧的,熟练的(a deft hand 能手)
- The pianist has deft fingers.钢琴家有灵巧的双手。
- This bird,sharp of eye and deft of beak,can accurately peck the flying insects in the air.这只鸟眼疾嘴快,能准确地把空中的飞虫啄住。
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西
- They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
- He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机
- 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。
n.时间安排,时间选择
- The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
- The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。
adj.惊人的,奇妙的;异常的;巨大的;庞大的
- This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
- He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。
n.模范,典型
- He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
- Man is the paragon of animals.人是万物之灵。
n.正当行为;正当;适当
- We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。
- The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
- 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。
adj.分析的,用分析方法的
- The boy has an analytic mind. 这男孩有分析的头脑。
- Latin is a synthetic language,while English is analytic.拉丁文是一种综合性语言,而英语是一种分析性语言。
adj.暂时的,临时的;n.间歇,过渡期间
- The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
- It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。
adv.以前,先前(地)
- 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。
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中情局